The Raven and the Dove
by theangeloffandoms
Summary: This started out as an AU collaborative idea between me and RPbogal. However, I liked the idea so much that we'll be turning into a separate fic. A new face has entered the Phantomhive manor with a troubled past and a seemingly close bond with Sebastian. What will this newcomer face in the servitude of the Phantomhive household? I hope you enjoy it. Rating may change.
1. Introduction

This started out as an AU collaborative idea between me and RPbogal. However, I liked the idea so much that we'll be turning into a somewhat-separate fic from my The One that Got Away trilogy. Some aspects will be the same, other shall be different. Hope you all enjoy it!

Chapter 1. The First Day

It was very quiet in the manor, which was quite unusual since you could often hear the sounds of something being broken or the yells of the Phantomhive servants from their crazy antics. The devilish butler Sebastian Michaelis was on his way to his bedroom when he heard two gunshots in the servants quarters. He raced to the source, his bedroom and became wide-eyed at the scene he saw. Mey-Rin and Bard were standing in the doorway, both wielding guns and his walls had two distinct bullet holes in them.

"What on earth are you two doing?" He asked, searching for a certain sign of life and mentally sighed in relief sensing it.

"Intruder in your bedroom." Mey-Rin replied, her circular glasses now resting on the top of her head. Sebastian let out a sigh.

"Adam are you alright?" He asked. The head of a pale, teenage boy popped out from under Sebastian's bed.

"Yeah, Perfect timing Sebastian." The younger male replied, answering the raven haired butler. He crawled out and stood up to face the servants.

"Huh? You know him?" Bard asked the demon butler.

"Indeed, I recently hired him." Sebastian replied. The 17 year old didn't look like much; at a five foot three height, he certainly didn't look threatening like Sebastian. It also didn't help that Adam had a lean but slightly muscular body. His face was the most striking thing about him; He had a soft jawline, porcelain-like skin, and beautiful emerald green eyes.

"It's true," Adam replied. "I tried to tell you but you kept shooting at me."

"Well, I'm glad you're alright. Let me take you to meet the young master. Although . ." Sebastian reached out a plucked out a tuft of black cat hair from Adam's wavy golden blonde hair. "It would be quite distressing if his allergies act up." Adam pouted in response to the raven-haired man's comment

"I'm not the one who keeps cats in his room. That's you, Sebastian." He reminded him.

"Come along, and you two" Sebastian turned to the two servants. "Please refrain from shooting Adam in the future."

"Yes, sir." Mey-Rin replied.

"Yeah alright." Bard answered. The butler nodded and he left the room along with the blonde boy. Once out of earshot, Sebastian turned to Adam.

"Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine, Sebastian." Adam reassured him. Sebastian nodded in response.

"Alright . . I didn't expect either of them to find you but it was my own fault, I should have predicted it."

"There's no way you could have predicted that," Adam remarked, then remembered something. "Unless demons are psychic or something . . Are you?" Sebastian chuckled hearing this from the blonde, finding his curiosity adorable.

"I am not, however I do know a few who are." Sebastian replied. Adam's eyes grew a little wide in surprise.

"Ah I see." The duo soon arrived at the door to the study and Sebastian opened it. Upon doing so, the two saw their twelve year old master Ciel Phantomhive in the middle of building a castle out of cards. This greatly surprised Adam, for out of the stories Sebastian had told him of his little master, he never imagined he was _that_ young.

"Young Master, may I have a word?" Sebastian asked, not wanting to startle the boy.

"What is it?" Ciel asked slightly irritated, not breaking his focus.

"I've hired another set of hands, I believe he will be a promising servant." Sebastian replied, gesturing to Adam. Ciel looked up and raised an eyebrow seeing the teenager, not remembering asking Sebastian to hire a new servant.

"Is that so?"

"Yes, It's a pleasure to meet you Earl Phantomhive." Adam replied, bowing politely.

"What makes you think he will be beneficial?" Ciel asked coldly, turning to the raven haired butler.

"I believe he will be an asset to you and be able to watch the other servants. You are aware of their . . antics." Sebastian reminded the young earl. Ciel scoffed.

"Fine, keep a close eye on him."

"Of course young master," Sebastian replied, bowing to his young lord.

"Now I'd like something sweet." Ciel ordered. _He's as spoiled as Sebastian described,_ Adam thought.

"I'm afraid I can't do that, If you eat something sweet now, you'll spoil your dinner." Sebastian replied. Ciel gave his butler an annoyed look. Sebastian smiled back with closed eyes.

"He does have a point." Adam remarked. Ciel scowled a bit.

"Don't you both have work to do?!" Ciel said, annoyed. Sebastian nodded and the two servants left the study. After a short walk, Adam spoke up.

"My, he's more spoiled than you described. And a lot younger."

"My master does have his moments however, he can be as dark and mature as any grown man." Sebastian replied. Adam nodded in response as the two walked down to the servants quarters so Adam could get settled into his own room, which happened to be next door to Sebastian's.

"I hope you'll be happier here, you're away from _her_ now." Sebastian commented.

"I'm sure I will be. I get to see you everyday," Adam replied. "But don't get any wild ideas just yet .." Sebastian smirked at the blonde and left to attend to his daily duties.

 _Alright that's it for now. Please Review, I'd love to hear your thoughts and suggestions. Until the next chapter my Lovelies_

 _-theangeloffandoms_


	2. Something Wicked This Way Comes

Adam's POV

England's summers are very short. It's hottest from May to August, people tend to call it " _The Season"._ Aristocrats from all over the world are invited to London for many social events. Personally, I never liked this time of year. My sickness, called asthma by Sebastian, is the worst at this time. It's kind of crazy sometimes, but I don't mind, it's better than . . I shouldn't think about that too much, Sebastian will get worried about me. It's bad enough that we have a murder case in London, which is why Ciel was called in. Sebastian decided to bring me along, I think it's mostly because he doesn't quite trust the other servants around me for too long. Honestly, he worries about me too much.

"Young Master, it's been awhile since you last went out, isn't it?" Sebastian asked our little master when we arrived at Ciel's manor house in town.

"I couldn't care less who sent that letter," Ciel replied stubbornly as he put on his top hat. "I hate going to crowded places."

"Maybe being away from the manor could be a good thing too," I suggested, following behind Sebastian.

"Isn't it much more peaceful without those four at your side?" Sebastian reminded Ciel when we walked in.

"Hm well, at least you two aren't as loud," Ciel mumbled as we walked into the living room. Inside was two people who were ransacking the room. One was a woman dressed completely in red, even her eyes and hair were a crimson color. The other appeared to be one of those Asian men and wore a strange-looking garment that looked like a robe.

"Jeez, where did they put the tea leaves in this house?" The woman in red asked as she rifled through bookshelves.

"I can't find them either." The Asian man replied, looking into a vase.

"Madame Red! Lau! Why are you here?" Ciel said in frustration. I looked over to Sebastian to see a smile on his face, but it was a smile that looked like he was ready to snap.

"Ah, he came back so quickly." The woman, Madame Red said, holding a book. "Since my cute little nephew is in London, How could I not come visit you while I'm here?"

"Hey, Earl . . I've heard that many interesting things happen here." The Asian man, Lau replied.

"We had no idea guests were coming, I apologize for not accommodating you earlier," Sebastian said politely. I turned my head to Ciel to see that his expression screamed ' _I don't want these people here_ '

"I'll go prepare tea for you immediately. Adam, I would like your assistance." Sebastian said then turned to me. I nodded in response and followed him to the kitchen.

"So who are they?" I asked as I got out this afternoon's tea leaves, Jackson's Earl Grey, as per Sebastian's instructions.

"Madame Red is the young Master's aunt, Angelina Durless, former wife of Baron Barnett, and works at the Royal London Hospital," Sebastian explained as he prepared the water. "Lau is the manager of the English branch of a Chinese foreign trade."

"Seems a bit of a nutter that one," I mumbled. Sebastian chuckled.

"Well you aren't wrong but he is a pawn to the Young Master so be nice"

"Hm, well pawn or not, he's still a nutter," I remarked, as we walked back toward the living room with the pot of tea.

"Today's tea is a Jackson's, Earl Grey," Sebastian said as we both helped serve tea.

"The aroma is nice," Ciel commented when we served him first.

"It's the same kind of tea, but yet the way you make it makes such a difference. Grell, you should follow his example." Madame Red commented, turning to a timid-looking man who I assumed to be her butler then I guess she noticed me for she turned back to Ciel. "Darling nephew, I didn't know you hired more help. That's unusual for you."

"I didn't, Sebastian did as his assistant. He works quickly and quietly, which I rather like." Ciel replied.

"Well, he's certainly a handsome one," Madame Red said then rubbed my behind, making my hair stand on end and go complete stiff, "Why don't you just quit and come work for me?" Ciel coughed in his hand and I quickly moved away from her, feeling my face burn with a blush of embarrassment.

"Madam Red, let's talk seriously now. I've heard about the case of prostitutes being murdered on the streets lately." Ciel said, the room's mood now becoming more serious and grim.

"You mean what's been on the news non-stop lately? I know of it." Madame Red smirked. "However . . what are you planning?" Lau smirked as well.

"This isn't just some ordinary case. The Killer's way is very special- no I should say abnormal. That's why _she_ is so concerned about it." By she, I assume he meant Queen Victoria. Ciel grabbed a fork and started to eat his dessert, though it seems he was not interested, he most certainly knew what was going on. I, on the other hand, was a bit interested.

"The murdered prostitute's name was Mary Ann Nichols. The wounds looked like they were some kind of sharp tool, using quick cuts with a painful death. The police and other prostitutes call the murderer _Jack the Ripper._ " Ciel stated. "I just wanted to know the circumstances sooner, so I rushed to London."

Lau laughed and he brought his tea to his lips, "The Queen's watchdogs have already been dispatched, but I'm not interested. However . . . do you have the guts to go to the crime scene?"

"What do you mean?" Ciel asked.

"I smelled a wild beast at the crime scene. This murder is definitely an abnormal madman." He stood up and walked to Ciel; getting a bad feeling coming from him, I stood behind Ciel's chair. He touched Ciel's cheek gingerly, and whispered "Will you be scared, Earl of Phantomhive?". Ciel glared at him, not liking being treated like a child, or touched.

"I came because I was worried about my Fiancee. I don't need to answer your pointless questions." Ciel said. _Fiancee?! He's 12!_ Lau grinned at Ciel.

"Not bad, that look in your eyes is good." He suddenly lunged for Ciel but I moved in time so Ciel wasn't touched again.

"Mr. Lau, kindly stop that," I said, giving Lau a warning look and he backed off.

"Thank you, Adam. I rarely ever get to have afternoon tea with the Earl, but I can't even enjoy it in peace?" Madame Red said calmly. Ciel gave me a slightly odd look at my action but turned back toward his aunt.

"I know of one person who has been to the crime scene," Ciel said. The other adults and I looked at Ciel with a confused look. "At the time, many people gathered to see what was going on. But it's too troublesome for me to ask for the police."

"Then what should we do?" Madame Red asked.

"Earl . . you couldn't be . ." Lau stared at Ciel, but I have a very good feeling he actually had no idea what Ciel was talking about.

"There's no other way . . It's bothersome to meddle in this case, but I can find someone who works on this case." Ciel said.

"So . . what is this place?" Lau asked. _I knew it._

Sebastian's POV

"Why are you familiar with this kind of place?" Madame Red shouted. To the average person. The shop was in some way creepy but to me, unfortunately, it's a very familiar place . .

"Because the person the Young Master knows works as an undertaker," I explained. _If anyone knew what happened to bodies in the London Underworld or in the supernatural world, it would be him._

"An Undertaker?" Madame Red asked. We ignored her and Ciel, Adam, and I entered the shop.

"Are you there, Undertaker?" Ciel asked.

"Welcome Earl," Undertaker said slipping out of a coffin earning a chorus of screams from everyone but myself, Adam, and Ciel., "Do you want to see how it feels to sleep in my custom made coffin?" Undertaker lightly tapped Ciel's nose with his long black nail.

"I didn't come here to play today," Ciel replied.

"You don't need to tell me. I know why you came." Undertaker's smile grew. "With just one look I can tell what's on your mind. Since the Earl went out of his way to visit me, I'll certainly do everything I can to help. Please take a seat first." Everyone had a look that said 'sit where?' Until they eventually realized that they could sit on top of the coffins. I stood nearby Ciel and Adam, keeping an eye on the Undertaker who came around with tea. The others took the tea which was served in beakers, except me and Adam. I suppose he doesn't trust Undertaker, which I don't blame him for. Humans often find him to be strange and not someone you would trust.

"Now then, you wanted to know about Jack the Ripper?" Undertaker asked, opening an urn to reveal bone-shaped cookies. "Everyone's been scared because of this disturbance . . but this isn't the first time I've handled this kind of thing." He took a bite of the cookie.

"This isn't the first time? What do you mean?" Madam Red asked.

With a cookie hanging from his mouth, Undertaker spoke, "It's happened before, a case where prostitutes were killed. In fact, in the way they were killed was very similar too. But in the beginning, the police didn't think much of these cases, though the murdered prostitutes all had something in common."

"Something in common?" Ciel said.

"What is it?" Adam asked.

"Well now, I wonder what, I wonder what it is indeed." His smile grew big. "Is it bothering you?"

"I see, so that's how it is," Lau said. "You're very good at doing business, Undertaker, How much money do you want for information?" Undertaker stood rigidly then rushes forward at Lau, scaring him.

"How much money!" Undertaker shouted, almost hysterical. "I don't want any of the Queen's money!" He turned his head to Ciel, "Now, then, Earl . . I only have one requirement." He started to drool and a slight laugh came from him. "Show me the first-rate laugh! If you do, no matter what you want to know, I'll tell you!"

"Is he mad?" Adam whispered to me.

"No, surprisingly," I whispered back

"Weirdo," Ciel remarked.

"Earl, if that's the case, let me handle this." Lau suddenly started to shout. "The Sleeping Tiger of the Shanghai New Year's Party also referred to as my soul!" This should satisfy you! Do you like it?"

"Hm?" Undertaker didn't seem to like it.

"That wasn't funny at all," Adam remarked then Madame Red stepped up.

"It looks like he still won't talk, Lau. It can't be helped. Then I, Madame Red, a beauty of high society, shall make my appearance now. If I ask him, he'll be sure to tell us!" As she started her joke, I moved to cover Ciel's ears but stopped to see that Adam had already done so. The joke wasn't very funny, but wildly inappropriate for the Young Master to hear. When she was finished, Adam removed his hands from Ciel's ears.

"You're the only one left Earl." Undertaker sneaked closer to Ciel, "I've helped you many times in the past . . can't you be nice to me just this one time?"

"Young Master, if you don't mind, I'd like to try," Adam spoke up. Ciel looked at Adam in surprise

"Go ahead." He replied.

"He he what a surprise. Such a handsome one too . ." Undertaker remarked, making me narrow my eyes a little.

"Alright . . I wouldn't eat the fish in France if I were you . . I hear it's Poisson." Adam said a bit hesitantly. Undertaker must have found it funny for he started to laugh hysterically.

"Ha Ha Ha! A pun! Oh, my I do love a good pun!" He remarked between fits of laughter.

"I don't understand." Lau remarked, "That wasn't funny at all."

" _Poisson_ is the French word for fish, it sounds and spelled similarly to the English 'poison'. That's the pun." I explained. Adam nodded in confirmation as Undertaker began to calm down.

"Whatever you want to know is fine," Undertaker said, finally calming down. "You see, my guests have been 'incomplete'."

"Incomplete?" Ciel asked.

"Indeed, that prostitute isn't a whole woman anymore," Undertaker explained. "Because her womb . . is gone." We all went wide-eyed in surprise. "Recently, these kinds of 'guests' have been rapidly increasing. Their whole bodies dripping with blood. .It's made me very busy."

"Let's just say that there aren't very many people out on the streets late at night." I reasoned. "But accurately cutting out specific organs couldn't be done by a regular person, right?" Undertaker gave me a small grin, confirming my theory.

"The Butler understands well, I too feel this way," Undertaker said then made his way to Adam. "If he should act within such a short time, he should slit the throat first." Undertaker made a slashing motion at Adam's throat; I could sense the anxious aura from Adam with Undertaker in his personal space. Undertaker then made a slashing motion at his abdomen. "And proceed to cut open the stomach. It's easier to succeed this way." When Undertaker moved away, I saw Adam finally relax. "From the looks of the culprit's work, that cruel accurately definitely wasn't carried out by a normal citizen. It had to be someone experienced. You should've been able to figure that out too, Earl. It's very likely that the murderer is an expert. Maybe if he knew you were here, it could lure him out. He will continue committing crimes, he definitely will." Undertaker turned to Ciel with a creepy smile on his face. "Can you stop him? Be a good little Guard Dog."

"The world of darkness has the world of darkness's rules," Ciel replied, getting up. "He wouldn't murder random people for no reason. There must be an influence manipulating him from behind. I won't be scared, no matter what tricks the Queen's lackeys want me to use, I will solve them all. Sorry for intruding, Undertaker." The others got up and left the shop, returning to the carriage. As the group discussed possible suspects, I went through my own mental list. However, I couldn't find myself to concentrate. My thoughts continuously went to Adam; I thought that by bringing him to the manor, I could keep him safe. Now with this killer on the loose, I could only think of keeping him safe. . .

"Are you listening to Sebastian?" Ciel said, giving me an irritated look.

"I apologize, young master. I was making a mental list of viable suspects. I will begin questioning them immediately." I said, getting up and opening the carriage.

"What the hell are you doing?" Adam called from the driver's seat.

"I will meet you back at the manor house. Keep the Young master safe." I replied, then jumped from the carriage.

* * *

When the group arrived back, Sebastian had already narrowed down the suspect list to one name. The Viscount Druitt. He had been throwing several parties in his home and has the necessary skill set in order to carry out the murders. All they needed was to get someone to get close to the Viscount.

"Oh, I have a brilliant idea! Adam!" Madame Red exclaimed, making the blonde servant jumped.

"Yes, Madame?" He replied.

"We'll dress you up as a noble lady, he won't be able to resist any pretty little thing in a skirt." She continued, making Adam's face turn red in embarrassment.

"W-W-What?!"

"Oh come now Adam, you're perfect for the role. Plus, I bet you'll make a cute girl" Madame Red persuaded, winking at him suggestively.

"I have to agree . ." Sebastian remarked. "And it wouldn't put the young master at risk. Plus, I have to agree with Madame Red. You would make a believable woman." The demon butler smiled innocently at Adam, making the blonde glare at him.

"Fine," he said after a few minutes of silence.

"Excellent, I'll call a tailor immediately." Madame Red replied happily, leaving the room with Grell. Ciel, glad it wasn't him being forced into a dress, turned to Adam.

"Just be careful, we don't know how much the viscount is capable of." Adam nodded and bowed.

"Yes, sir. "


	3. The Viscount's Party

On the evening of the ball, Grell Sutcliffe was walking by the servants quarters when she heard a low groan coming from Adam's room. Curious, Grell walked to the door and was about to knock when she heard Sebastian's voice along with Adam's

"Relax, you'll only make it worse if you're tense."

"Hard to relax - ah - when you're doing that!" Then Adam let out a small moan. "Not really - Ah -You said you'd - ah - be gentle!" Adam said with groans of pain.

"I am trying." Grell heard Sebastian reply.

"Doesn't feel like it." By this point, Grell could feel a nosebleed coming from the suggestive noises coming from the room. By the time Grell got the courage to open the door, she saw Adam bent over with his hands balled into fist and Sebastian standing behind him, pulling the ribbons on the corset Adam had to wear as part of the noblewoman disguise.

"God it hurts," Adam mumbled.

"Don't worry I'm almost finished." Sebastian replied, giving one last tug and finished lacing it."There, now was that so horrible?" Sebastian asked, only to be given a glare from Adam.

"Yes it was, now get out." Hearing that, Grell scurried off

"I want to help," Sebastian said, getting the disguise that Adam would wear, a beautiful blood-red gown from Madame Red. Adam let out a sigh and rubbed his sides.

"Why do women even wear corsets? It's torture!" He complained.

"It's customary for women to wear them in society." Sebastian pointed out, lying the dress on the bed.

"That's stupid," Adam remarked then pulled the dress over his head and attempted to secure it himself but found he could not reach. Sebastian noticed this and secured the dress in the back. "This is so humiliating... dressing like a girl," Adam mumbled.

"I know you don't like it but this will be over before you know it," Sebastian reassured as Adam put on a long blond wig that was identical to his natural hair color that ended at his waist. "Plus, you are rather adorable. In that dress." Sebastian smiled innocently at the blonde, only to have Adam scowl a little at him.

"You're enjoying this far too much," Adam replied, putting on the matching hat and completing the disguise. Sebastian smiled.

"A bit."

"And what exactly is your role in this?" Adam asked as he put on his shoes. Sebastian smirked at the blonde.

"Madame Red has assigned me to be your lover." Adam stood up and turned to the raven-haired man.

"You will definitely be enjoying this damn party."

Sebastian's P.O.V.

Things were going very smoothly at the Viscount's party, all that needs to be done was to locate him. I searched the crowd for Adam to see that he wasn't dancing and leaning against the wall. I let out a sigh and walked over to him.

"You won't get the Viscount's attention just standing there, you have to dance," I muttered to him. Adam looked down at his feet and rubbed his arm. _Wait a minute..._ "You can't dance" I realized with a sigh.

"You saw the life I lived, I never learned!" Adam replied in a hushed tone.

"You have a point... Well, it can't be helped." I said then gestured for his hands. Adam looked up at me then gave me his hands. I led Adam out to the dance floor and wrapped my arm around his waist, slowly dancing so he could get an idea of what he was doing. I noticed Adam's face turn pink with blush and that he was keeping his head down, looking at his feet. I gently touched his chin and slowly moved his head up to me.

"You do have to look up at the person you're dancing with." I reminded him then felt him step on my feet. It didn't hurt at all but Adam seemed to be even more embarrassed.

"Sorry," Adam muttered.

"It's alright, just relax," I said, pulling him a bit closer.

"I'm horrible at this." He muttered, looking down at his feet. I picked his head up again.

"You're better than the young master . . . I can teach you after this case." I replied. Adam let out a small laugh.

"Oh wow. .wait, won't it be odd to the others if they saw you and me dancing?" He reminded me with a slightly concerned look.

"Perhaps but I'm not too concerned. You worry too much." I replied then twirled him around and held him by the waist again, trying to act as the role of his lover. It did work in a way, for Adam's face turned that adorable shade of pink when he was embarrassed. I smirked seeing this and I rested my chin on his shoulder and gently kissed his neck. I noticed that Adam was biting his lip, as if not to let out any noise.

"D-Don't get too eager." Adam stuttered. I smiled at his awkwardness and stood straight.

"My apologies," I replied, but I wasn't that sorry. The demon butler turned his head to see their target walking toward them.

"Mind if I cut in?" Viscount asked, giving Adam a flirty smile.

"I... Um, I'm sure he wouldn't mind," Adam replied in a higher, more feminine voice then turned to me. "Would you dear?" I bowed to the Viscount then allowed him to dance with Adam. I walked away but kept them in my line of sight. I didn't like this one bit. This Viscount Druitt was known to be one with wandering hands with a pretty woman. Adam looked down at his feet again, probably trying to avoid stepping on his feet. Viscount only chuckled at this and held him closer, which only made me more anxious.

"So delightful and shy, like a little dove taking her first flight." He commented, making Adam look up at him.

"P-Pardon?" He stuttered then stepped on the Viscount's foot. "I-I'm sorry I'm not very good at this."

"It's alright," Viscount asked then gently traced his grubby fingers on Adam's cheek. "Perhaps I could take you to a more private place?" I growled a little hearing this, I only stayed to make sure we would have him arrested.

"I'd like that very much," Adam said with a slightly flirty tone. As they walked away, I waited a few minutes before going to follow them and collect evidence. Suddenly, I felt Adam's presence weaken significantly. After a moment of panic, I realized he was only knocked out. I quickly followed his scent to a dark room filled with people in masks. Viscount Druitt came out a few minutes with a dark cloth tied around his eyes.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, please quiet down. The item is one that everyone has been anticipating for." Viscount went over to a cage and took off the sheet, revealing Adam but he was blindfolded and Tied up. The crowd gasped and began to mutter amongst themselves. "You may keep her in the cage, or you could play with her as much as you wish, or use her in a ceremony. Or sell her for parts according to what the customer prefers. This is a hard to get item. Her eyes are the color of dazzling perfect emeralds which I will show you now. Let's start the bidding at 1000." With that, I snapped. I snuffed out the candles and knocked out every person in the room, including Viscount Druitt.

"S-Sebastian?" Adam called out. _Oh, Hell Adam!_ I quickly went to him and removed his blindfold.

"Are you alright?" I asked, bending the bars easily and untying his bonds.

"Yeah, just dizzy . ." He replied. Worried, I lifted him up with ease into my arms.

"The police have already been called. Come, let's get you in a safe place." I told him as he wrapped his arms around my neck. I smiled a little then we disappeared into the night. By the time we arrived back at the manor, my Young Master had gotten settled into a large armchair. He turned to us and went a little wide-eyed seeing a dazed Adam in my arms.

"Jack the Ripper has been arrested by Scotland Yard," I reported.

"Good. What happened to Adam?" Ciel asked, seeming to be slightly worried.

"Adam will be fine after he gets some rest, Young Master," I replied then Ciel allowed me to go back to the servants quarters.

 _I hope this will be over soon . . ._


	4. Jack the Ripper : The Confrontation

Ciel's P.O.V.

"There are 4.5 million people in London alone. During the seasonal party period, there'd be even more. If we relax the requirements, the pool of people increases even more." I commented. Sebastian had returned from the servants quarters an hour or so before. None of us could sleep so I stayed in the parlor with Madame Red.

"You're still working?" I turned to see Madame Red holding up a chess set. "Want to relax a bit and play this?"

"International chess, huh? It brings back memories . ." I muttered.

"Is that so?" Madame Red asked with a smile on her face. "Because Sebastian was coming, I got this out from the attic! Come! Take a break! Take a break!" Madame Red patted the table and I let out a sigh. "Grell, please prepare some tea." Madame Red requested. After a few minutes, Grell came back with our tea.

"I-It's already late . . So I've prepared herb tea made from wild roses." Grell said then me and Madame Red tried his tea, which was awful.

"Grell, I'll make the tea." I heard Adam say. We turned to see him in the doorway, dressed in his normal clothes and appearing a bit dazed but seemed fine.

"Adam are you feeling alright?" Madame Red asked, surprised. "Sebastian told us what happened."

"I'm fine Madame. Now, let me remake that tea." Adam replied then grabbed the tea set from Grell and left the room.

"You know, since Sebastian and apparently Adam are so capable, you should just make them do the investigation on the Viscount instead?" Madame Red asked.

"Sebastian and Adam are merely my chess pieces." I reminded her, making my move. "It is not possible to move chess pieces without me, the person behind it. If I won using a free moving piece, that would not be to my credit. The one who gives the order will always be the master. Without my command, Sebastian will not make a move. But the difference between Sebastian and a chess piece is that he can single handedly take down all the other "knights". Adam on the other hand . . .I simply don't know. He hasn't been with me long enough for me to know what he will do."

"I thought you hired him?" Madame Red asked.

"Sebastian did. Apparently he wanted an assistant but for some reason chose him . . . I wonder why. . . " I replied beating Madame Red then she let out a sigh.

"46 consecutive loses." she muttered then the door opened revealing Adam with our tea. Taking a small sip, I felt a small smile grow on my face.

"This is very good. I see you picked up Sebastian skills very quickly. Well done Adam." I complimented.

"Hm much better than Grell's foul attempt." Madame Red commented. Adam smiled and bowed politely.

"Thank you. I'm glad to hear you are both satisfied." Adam replied, then exited the room. There was a period of silence before Madame Red spoke up.

"You know, I still remember the day you were born. At the time, I was still a new nurse, and I was panicking back then . . . You were so small and cute, I felt I had to protect you. Although I've never had any children, I treat you as if you were my own son, and so I want you to leave this kind of society." she said, putting a comforting hand on my head. I gently moved her hand away.

"I am here because this is what I wish, and it is what I choose. I will not regret anything, and neither will I rely . . on anyone." I told her then kissed her cheek. "It is time for me to retire, I had a happy time playing with you Madame Red." Madame Red smiled at me

"I won't lose next time. Goodnight, my darling nephew." she said then soon after, she and Grell left. I let out a sigh and went upstairs to my bedroom then laid down on the bed. It had been a long night, I just wanted to sleep . . . .

The next evening, Adam, Sebastian, and I went out to catch the real Jack the Ripper. I shivered, it being cold and rainy that night. Adam must have noticed this for he put his coat over my shoulders.

"You didn't need to do that," I muttered, putting my arms through the sleeves.

"We wouldn't want you catching a cold, it's not good for you to stay put in this weather for too long." Adam replied then looked up at the cloudy night sky and let the rain hit his pale face and dampen his golden blonde hair . "I wonder . . why kill them?"

"Pardon?" I asked.

"There seems to be no point in it. These women . . they did nothing wrong. They're simply carving out a living off what they can get. It's a last resort . . . I'm sorry, I must be boring you with my babbling." Adam apologized, turning to me.

"It's fine, better than hearing Sebastian with his damn cat." I replied, glaring at my butler while he was petting a black cat. Adam let out a sigh and nudged Sebastian's shoulder.

"Let her go, we have a job to do." Adam pointed out, giving Sebastian a look I could not see. It must have worked for Sebastian sighed and let the cat go, standing up.

"My apologizes, she was so beautiful . . ." he replied, making both Adam and me roll his eyes at him. Then a blood curdling scream echoed through the street.

"What?! How could he have gotten past us?!" I exclaimed.

"Let's go young master." Sebastian replied then the three of us went to the prostitute's home. I opened the door but before I could see anything, Adam covered my eyes and held me back. The scent of blood and a fresh corpse already entered my nose and sickened me.

"Young Master, you shouldn't see this. Please step away." he said in a calming voice, but I could feel him shaking from shock. When we moved away, I hear the sound of footsteps come toward us.

"You made quite a mess in there,Grell Sutcliffe." I heard Sebastian say.

"N . .No . . this is . . I heard the cry," Grell stuttered out. "And when I got here, it was already . ."

"That is not possible. We were outside the only route." Adam said. "How the hell did you get in there?"

"Do you still plan on pretending in the state you're in?" Sebastian asked. I heard Grell let out a chuckle.

"Is that so?" Grell replied, then his tone changed to a more flirtatious and confident one."That is correct, I'm an actress. And a top rate one, at that! But you aren't the same, _Sebastian?_ "

"This is the name I prefer to use in this world, reaper." Sebastian commented. I grew a little wide-eyed. _Adam, he's going to find out about the contract!_

"Oh, the role of a faithful dog! Even though a handsome man as a loyal dog is also rather nice . . and you even have a little cute friend. . .Then allow me to reintroduce myself, Sebastian . . no _Bassy!_ I am the butler of the Barnett family, Grell Sutcliff!" Grell said, probably doing an odd pose. "Ah, I can finally appear before you in my real form! Because isn't it embarrassing to appear before a handsome guy without makeup! It was my first time seeing a demon as a butler, so I was very surprised at first!"

"You are seriously screwed up, aren't you?" Adam commented.

"Why did you become a butler?" Sebastian asked.

"I've been captivated by a certain woman . . " Grell replied.

"And that woman is?" Sebastian asked, then I heard another set of footsteps.

"You don't really have to ask, do you?" Madame Red asked, stepping out of the prostitute's home. I moved Adam's hand from my eyes to see Madame Red and Grell, who now had bright red hair and makeup.

"My calculations were wrong . . who would have thought the person to uncover Grell's identity would be someone by your side, Ciel." Madame Red commented.

"You were on the suspect list from the very beginning. However, Madame Red, your alibi was really quite perfect." I said in a monotone voice.

"How terrible, Ciel. You really suspected your own aunt?" Madame red asked me.

"As long as there is the possibility, I don't care whether that person is a blood relative or friend. In the list of suspects, any _human_ could not have done it. The same goes for you, of course. But of the co-criminal was _not a human_ then that is a different matter. To be able to make it here without us noticing. You should have the ability to go to the murder scene and from the Viscount's home, right? And then, to disappear from the party for a few minutes, is something people would not notice." I replied and got out of Adam's grip, standing between Adam and Sebastian. "The ones able to be _Jack the Ripper_ would be the two of you. Madame Red and Grell Sutcliff. The victim of Jack the Ripper, apart from being prostitutes and being left with no uterus or ovaries. There was also another thing had in common. They were all your patients at the Hospital you work at. All of them went through a certain surgery. The patient list setting out the order when they'd undergo their operations, are here." I pulled out a list of the prostitutes with the names of the dead ones crossed off. "The order in which the victims died correspond exactly to the patients on your operation list. The only name left was the woman in this home but . . . .I couldn't save her."

"How unfortunate. . my cute nephew . . my . . sister's son . ."Madame Red said then picked her head up, a crazed look in her eye. "I'M NOT GOING TO GO EASY ON YOU ANYMORE!" All of a sudden, the sound of a fast moving machine filled the air and Grell swung some soft of weapon at us. Adam reacted quickly and pulled me back while Sebastian caught the blade, which had some fast-moving belt covered in sharp dagger-like protrusions on it.

"What in the name of Hell is that thing?!" Adam asked in shock.

"It's a death scythe, though I've never seen one like that before." Sebastian answered. "In order to capture souls, all death gods have their own tool. It really is a troublesome thing."

"A regular scythe is old-fashioned don't you think? The one I'm using was specially made to order, This will play a duet with the the soul's last moments!" Grell explained, showing his weird machine off. "I've always been downright honest, to the point where my body's gotten slow . .I really could use some vigorous exercise with you . . This is the tool used by the gods able to slice through anything. Oh Bassy I do love red the most! Hair, clothes, lipstick, I love them all to be red. That's why I love using fresh blood to do makeup for those ugly women, the more flamboyant a woman is, the more she's as beautiful as a poisonous flower, Even if I'm like this, I'm still a butler of death!" I removed my eye-patch, revealing the mark of my contract with Sebastian.

"In the name of her Majesty the Queen and my own wretched name, I command you. Capture Jack the Ripper!" I ordered. Sebastian then pulled his gloves down with his teeth.

" _Yes, My Lord."_


	5. Jack the Ripper : The End

Ciel's P.O.V.

As Sebastian and Grell fought, Adam stood by me almost protectively keeping an eye on where Madame Red was and where Grell was. He didn't seem the slightest bit shocked by all the supernatural events that had just taken place.

"Why . ." I asked.

"Why? You're asking me now, how do you expect me to answer? You and I have become the _guard dog_ and the _sinner_. If you weren't a guard dog of this place, and become the hunted instead of the hunter . ."Madame Red said then pulled out a knife and charged. "THEN THERE WOULD ONLY BE ONE PATH FOR YOU!" She aimed to choke me but what happened next was a bit of a blur. One moment she almost has her hand at my neck, the next she's being restrained by her wrists to the wall by Adam.

"Get a hold of yourself!"Adam shouted at her, Madame Red going wide-eyed at his actions.

"Let me go you brat! You wouldn't understand!" Madame Red yelled back at him.

"Maybe I don't know your exact situation, but I know that lashing out at anyone who reminds you of your pain isn't worth it! In case you haven't noticed, life sucks! Shit happens! There's nothing you can do to change the past! But you can change your future! Think for a moment you stupid woman! Would you really kill your own nephew?!" Adam yelled. I grew wide-eyed seeing how intense he had gotten. Madame Red became quiet then, when Adam put his guard down, she stabbed him in the upper arm. Adam yelped and held his arm, dropping her.

"ADAM!" Sebastian screamed, letting Grell butcher his arm to go to him. Madame Red moved to stab me but she stopped. Her hand that held the dagger remained frozen and she began to shake.

"I . . I . can't do it. I can't kill him." she muttered, beginning to cry. "I can't kill their beloved son!"

"What? Really? You're getting soft-hearted on me all of a sudden?" Grell asked in surprise. "After all those deaths? If you don't end him, he'll end you."

"Madame . ." I said in a soft tone. Before anyone could move, Grell plunged his death scythe into Madame Red, killing her instantly. I went wide-eyed seeing this and so did Sebastian and Adam.

"I love that way that you are being dyed by the red blood spurting out, Madame Red!" Grell exclaimed as Madame Red's body fell to the ground. "But i've lost interest in you. Goodbye Madame Red." Grell turned to leave.

"Sebastian, I gave you an order. It isn't over until Grell is finished!" I said. Sebastian nodded then the fight between Grell and Sebastian continued. I kneeled down at Madame Red's corpse and closed her eyes.

"Are you okay, Young master?" I turned to see Adam giving me a concerned look, his right arm soaked down to his elbow in blood.

"Yeah, I should be asking you that." I replied.

"I'm fine, just a scratch." Adam reassured but I wasn't. After a while, another reaper named William T. Spears came to take Grell away. When Sebastian came back, his shoulder was bleeding heavily.

"Shall we return home Young Master?" he asked. I nodded and the three of us returned home.

Sebastian's P.O.V.

After I brought the three of us home and made sure Ciel was cleaned up and in bed, Adam pulled me into the kitchen with a first aid kit.

"Adam, I'm alright there's no need." I assured him but Adam didn't listen as he peeled off my wet and bloodied shirt to see the injury on my shoulder. My shoulder had already partially healed but it still looked rather messy and bloody. It certainly didn't help ease Adam's worry.

"He nearly took your arm off . " He mumbled. I could practically hear the worry drip from his voice. I moved my hands up to his face and gently tilted his head so he looked up at me.

"I'm sorry that I made you worried . ." I apologized. "I've faced far worse injuries than this. I'm alright, really." I gave him a reassuring smile but the unsure look on his face told me he wasn't sure. "Adam . . " Adam then let out a sigh and leaned forward, resting his head on my unharmed shoulder and he let out a small groan.

"You're annoying . . " he mumbled. I smiled a little and pet his head.

"Possibly, now let's take care of your wound." I replied. I pulled the first aid kit toward me and tore away Adam's blood stained sleeve. The stab wound was deep but nothing very serious. Letting out a small sigh in relief, I began to treat it. As soon as I wrapped the bandage around his thin upper arm, I heard the door open. I turned my head to see Ciel in his nightclothes.

"Young Master, what are you doing up?" Adam asked, noticing him.

"I couldn't sleep." Ciel replied, rubbing his eyes.

"Would you like me to make you some tea to help?" I asked, but my Young Master shook his head.

"Or some warm milk with honey?" Adam suggested. Ciel stayed quiet then nodded slowly.

"Yes," he muttered. Adam smiled a little and got up then left the room to prepare it.

"Sebastian, does he know?" Ciel asked when Adam left the room.

"Know what, young master?" I replied. I knew what he meant but I wanted to make sure what Ciel implied was what I was thinking.

"All the supernatural stuff . . . You being a demon, the reapers. He wasn't shocked at all." Ciel stated. "Did he know before today?"

"I did," Adam replied when he walked back into the room with Ciel's drink. "Sebastian told me beforehand of his true nature and your contract with him." My young lord went wide-eyed.

"He did?" Adam nodded in response as Ciel took a sip from his cup.

"Indeed. You don't have to worry, your secret is safe with me." Adam replied, smiling a bit. Ciel gave Adam a weird look.

"You're very strange . . But I suppose if Sebastian trusts you, that's good enough for me." Ciel replied. Adam smiled wider.

 _I'm glad it all worked out . . .For the most part._


	6. The Prince

Sebastian's P.O.V.

Winter in England is a grey season that is enveloped by thick and heavy snow. After the series of murders by Jack the Ripper, London returned to it's peaceful state . . At least for a very brief time.

There is a strange case involving British citizens who had recently returned from India being continuously attacked, stripped of everything and hung upside down from the Eaves of the Hindustani coffeehouse in Portman Square. Since then, noblemen or soldiers from India. Were meeting the same fate from time to time. Those victims all had the same papers stuck to them . . with a tongue at the bottom. Ciel was sent to investigate this case by the Queen, which has proven to be somewhat interesting but I don't have much of an interest. None of the victims were dead, nor does it involve a large group of people. I just wanted to return to the townhouse to Adam. He decided to stay behind and do a quick clean-sweep of the house since it hasn't been occupied since September during the Jack the Ripper case. After investigating the scene, Ciel and I decided to go to Lau's disgusting place of business.

"So, you finally found this place, Earl . ." Lau droned on.

"What an awful smell." Ciel groaned under his breath.

"It kind of feels weird for you to see me this way," Lau said, taking a long leisurely breath from his opium pipe. "I always knew this day would come. Welcome Earl!" The smoke cleared to reveal Lau surrounded by five women and Ran-Mao. I still find it shocking that a fiercesome demoness like herself would stay with a disgusting human such as Lao.

"And what kind of day is this?!" Ciel shouted angrily.

"How have you been?" Lau asked as Ran Mao shifted her position so she was sitting in his lap. " I hear your birthday is coming up."

"I don't have time for this. I need to ask you something." Ciel asked.

"Ah, the Earl had to come all the way to Anagura to ask me about _that_ incident . . Am I right? The news has spread to you already? You sure are fast. I have been investigating _that_ incident. If it's about the orientals, the fastest way to find anything out is to ask you who has a strong influence around here . . " Lau replied.

"The president of the British Branch of the Chinese Trading company Kunlun . . No, Shanghai mafia, Qingband excutive . . " Ciel said.

"Meh, I don't like it when you address me that way. It's too formal. Right, Ran Mao?" Lau said, turning to the demoness. Ran Mao nodded silently.

"The numbers of people who move in and out of this street are in your control right, I'll leave East End in your care?" Ciel said, turning to leave.

"Of course, I have done as you asked. It's the bribe that allows me to do business in the underworld. Well, firstly I also want to ask you one thing . . what exactly is _that_ incident?" _Typical._ The three of us walked out of the opium den toward a stronghold of Indian people Lau supposedly said he knew. "So you want to arrest _that_ mischievous kid? Since there are no casualties, it must be because he's targeted upper class citizens or soldiers. Setting an example for the common people? It must be tiring for you, Earl?" Lau asked.

"Nonsense." Ciel replied.

"Nevertheless, we have walked for a long time now so where is this stronghold of Indian people?" I asked.

"Eh? Ah sorry, I got lost in the conversation so it seems that we are lost now." Lau replied with a small laugh.

"Why you?!" Ciel replied angrily when Lau scampered off. "Fine, well firstly we'll return to . .tsk" Ciel bumped into a dirty Indian man. When the man saw Ciel, he immediately doubled over like his ribs had been cracked.

"It hurts! My ribs cracked!" he moaned, signalling the arrivals of multiple Indian men. The man Ciel bumped into grabbed him by the coat. "Showing up in a place like this . . .You're asking for it! That's one nice dress you have there young man. A noble, eh? Pay me consolation money! Strip everything you have and give it to me!"

"It seems we are caught amongst some irritating punks yet again, young master." I commented, seeing that we were surrounded. "Shall I?"

"Dispose of them." Ciel ordered. I smirked and pulled down my glove.

"As you wish, young master." I replied.

"I'll tell you," the Indian man said in broken English. "All of us here despise noblemen. They brought us all the way to England and dumped us like trash!" other men in the group shouted in confirmation. "Because of you guys, we ended up living like miserable gutter rats! Our country was walked all over by your shoes! We'll give you a taste of how it feels to be plundered and humiliated!"

"Wait a second."

We all turned to see a richly dressed Indian teenager with long dark purple hair, golden yellow eyes, and a white-haired servant who appeared to be no older than 25. The teenager pulled out a poorly made drawing of what appeared to be an Indian woman. "We're searching for someone. Have you seen any Indians who look like this?"

"What the?! You're in the way you rude bastard!" the Indian beggar shouted.

"How rude, calling me such impolite things . ." the teenager turned to see me and Ciel. "He has a butler . .You are British nobleman."

"So what if we are?" Ciel asked, slightly annoyed.

"Then, I shall side with the people of my country. Agni!" the teenager said, turning to his white haired servant. "Defeat them!"

"Your wish is my command. I will swing this fist blessed by the gods for my master's sake!" the servant, Agni said, unwrapping his bandages from his right hand. Agni then sprinted forward and attacked me. I reacted quickly, grabbed Ciel, and fought back. After a while, I grew wide-eyed seeing that Agni could match me in strength. "I hit your marman countless times. Your arm should be paralyzed!" he said, stepping back for a moment. "How is it that you can fight still?"

"Hey! We had rarely stepped foot in this place and those guys picked a fight with us!" Ciel shouted. "Do all Indians act like barbarians and indiscriminately attack the British?!"

"What?" the teenager asked, then turned to the other Indian men. "You lot! Did you really attack this kid for no reason!"

"Eh? A reason?" one of them said, sweat dripping down his forehead.

"That's not right! Picking fights without reason is childish! Agni!" the teeanger turned to his servant once again. "Our brothers are the wrong ones here. We shall help the kid now!" Everyone turned to look at him in confusion. Agni nodded and beat up the entire mob of angry Indian men.

"It is done Lord Soma." Agni reported.

"So you guys . ." the teenager, Soma asked as he picked up Ciel's hat. "I hope you're not hurt or anything."

"Er, no." I replied then Soma slapped Ciel's hat back onto him.

"Also, Kid. This kind of area isn't the place for a kid to wander about." Soma told him. "So, anyhoo . I'm in the middle of a search so need to split. See ya!" Soma and Agni then turned and left, leaving me and Ciel in confusion.

"Oh well . . It looks like our first job is to deliver these people to the city yard." I suggested, kneeling at the pile of groaning Indian men.

"How tiresome . . The criminals may be among them. Let's wait to hear from the commissioner Randall." Ciel replied with a sigh. _At least we can go back to the townhouse now . . ._


	7. The Unwelcome Guests

Sebastian's P.O.V.

"Welcome back, how did Scotland Yard go?" Adam said cheerily when we returned to the townhouse. I smiled a little seeing him. _So cute . ._

"Annoying," Ciel replied while Adam took his coat and hung it up.

"I see. Are there any leads?" Adam asked in curiosity.

"Most likely from India based on the notes." Ciel replied.

"India . . By any chance did you run into two Indian men while you were coming home?" Adam asked, seeming to look at something behind us.

"Yes, why?" I asked.

"Well they followed you." Adam replied. I went wide-eyed and turned around to see Agni and Soma, followed by Lau.

"What the Hell?!" Ciel shouted. "Why the blazes are you here?!" I saw Soma going wide-eyed and walked to Adam then held his hands.

"You are so beautiful! Agni! I have found my bride!" Soma said happily. Adam became wide-eyed then turned dark red and backed away from him.

"I'm a man!" Adam shouted, his voice cracking in embarrassment.

"Are you sure? You look more like a girl to me." Soma replied. I growled a little then stood between Adam and Soma.

"I do appreciate it if you would stop harassing my fellow servant." I said, giving Soma my best _Mess with me and I'll kill you_ glare.

"My Prince, the blonde servant is indeed a man." Agni told Soma in a quiet tone.

"Huh . .Well I guess you are . . a feminine one at least." Soma said, then turned to Ciel. "In India, it's common to welcome and entertain benefactors. We even have a saying . . _Entertain your guests even if you must sell your treasures._ Oi, where's the bed?"

"Why are you looking for a bed?" Lau asked.

"In my country, we sit together with guests on the bed." Soma replied.

"Prince!" Agni called from the top of the stairs. "I found it!"

"OI! Listen to me!" Ciel shouted, absolutely furious.

"Meh, however narrow it is, I've decided to stay here."Soma replied. Obviously not listening to Ciel as he climbed the stairs.

"Wait a minute!" Ciel shouted, going after them. Adam and I followed, going up to a bedroom where we saw Soma lounging on the bed.

"I didn't really considering staying in an inn. Is it common in England for people to kick out their benefactors?"

"Is it common to be rude to an Earl and belittle his servants by calling them women?" Adam spat back at Soma, obviously still upset about that. Soma frowned

"Watch your mouth, you're speaking to a prince." Soma replied.

"Prince?" Adam asked in disbelief.

"Indeed. This person is the 26th child to the King of the princely state of Bengal. Prince Soma Asman Gandal." Agni explained. Bard, Mey-Rin, and Finnie were all amazed by this fact. Adam on the other hand was not.

"That doesn't give you the right to be a prat." Adam replied.

"Midget, control your servant's sharp tongue." Soma demanded, turning to Ciel.

"No, Adam can speak his mind. I agree with him. If you are so insistent on staying here, you will treat my servants with respect." Ciel defended.

"Yeah Yeah whatever." Soma replied, not really listening. Ciel growled a little and left, gesturing for Adam and me to follow.

"Thank you for defending me, sir. I really do appreciate it." Adam said after a little while.

"You're welcome. Besides I rather enjoy your sharp tongue. Maybe it will put this _Prince_ in his place."Ciel commented. Adam smiled a little at his response. I smiled as well, glad how well Ciel warming up to Adam and trusting Adam as he does me. _If only those two weren't here . . . ._

Ciel's P.O.V.

 _Ciel, Sir? It's time to wake up . ._

I let out a small yawn and opened my eyes to see Agni standing over me. "Namaste Ciel sir." Agni said cheerily.

"What?! What are you doing in my room?!"I demanded, then Agni picked me up.

"Breakfast has already been prepared. If you don't hurry, the food will get cold!" Agni said, about to carry me out of the room when he gets stopped by Adam.

"Agni, please put my Young master down. He doesn't like being carried." he said in a monotone voice.

"O-oh of course, my apologies." Agni said, seemingly genuine and put me down.

"Thank you Adam." I replied then Adam helped me put on my Bard, Finnie, and Mey-Rin came in, followed by Sebastian. According to Bard, Finnie, and Mey-Rin, Agni had done their chores and made an Indian style breakfast

"Agni, you didn't need to do all that. You are a guest here, just relax." Adam told him.

"I'm merely a butler, so i think the least I can do is lend a hand to you and Sebastian, you already work so hard." Agni replied, smiling a little. Sebastian smiled and turned to Mey-Rin, Bard, and Finnie.

"Why don't you all kneel down on the ground and beg for even a mere scrap of Agni's talent. Perhaps it would improve even you a little." Sebastian said. The trio went wide-eyed and crowded around agni for a scrap of his "talents". Sebastian pat Adam's shoulder. "You're perfect just the way you are."

"Great." Adam replied with a small smile. _Perfect? Sebastian would never call anything perfect, unless he was talking about one of his damn cats. I wonder . . ._ No, I'll worry about that later. I have a bigger problems to worry about. Later that morning, I sat across the table from Soma at the breakfast table, giving him an annoyed look.

"How long do you two intend on staying in my house?" I asked.

"We'll leave once our work is done." Soma replied, eating loudly.

"Which would be what exactly?" Adam asked in curiosity.

"We're looking for a woman," Soma replied, revealing the poorly done drawing of the Indian woman again. "Her name is Mina. She was a maidservant at my palace." Adam snorted a little, holding back a laugh.

"Did you draw this Prince Soma?" Adam asked, still trying to hold back a laugh. Prince Soma frowned.

"Yes I did! I drew her so good that once you see her in person, you'll recognize her for sure! Isn't she a beauty?" Soma said.

"Sebastian, can you find her with this?" I asked my dark-haired servant.

"Even for me, that's . . I'll try my best." Sebastian replied, taking the drawing.

"She is the most beautiful lady in my palace!" Soma stated.

"So why is she in England?" I asked the Bengali prince. All of a sudden, Agni and Soma began praying to a grotesque statue of a woman. "What the Hell is this all of a sudden?! Where did they get that statue from?!"

"It seems that they are praying but that's such an awful surreal figure of a god." Lau stated.

"It's just a statue of a woman who's holding a man's head, wears men's heads as a necklace, and happily dances on a man's stomach. That's how I see it." Adam commented.

"This is a statue of Kali. the goddess from the Hindu religion that we have faith in." Agni explained.

"So it's a god from India?" Sebastian asked. Agni nodded.

"Our Kali goddess is the wife of Shiva and also the goddess of power." Agni explained.

"She protects us from misfortune and also gives us a lot of benefits." Soma added. Agni the explained the story of Kali, that she was challenged by a demon. Kali killed the demon but became lost in bloodlust to the point where her husband Shiva laid down at her feet to snap her out of her craze.

"In other words, Kali the Goddess is the great goddess who defeated the demon after a time of struggle." Agni finished.

"If such a strong person exists, I should be careful when I go to India." Sebastian said. Soma stood up.

"Okay, I'm done praying now. Let's go out Midget!" Soma exclaimed then dragged me out of the room.

"Why me?! And my name is not midget, it's Ciel!" I protested, then Sebastian and Adam stopped him.

"I'm deeply sorry but, the young Master will not be showing you around today . . ." Adam stated.

"It has already been scheduled for the Young master to study and work today." Sebastian finished in perfect harmony with Adam.

"See? Now, if you want to look for that person, go do it yourself." I told the bratty prince. Unfortunately, not all went as planned. During my music study hour, Soma decided to interrupt by playing some weird Indian instrument then during my art study hour, Soma loudly declared a bottle was boring and that drawing a naked woman would be better then demanded Mey-Rin to undress. By the time my fencing study hour began, I was absolutely fed up with him and his antics.

Ugh! Shut the Hell up! I can't concentrate!" I shouted, having been distracted by Soma questioning what I was doing. "Fine, if you want my attention that badly, then be my opponent." I threw an extra foil at Soma, ready to shut him up. Soma caught it and got up.

"I have only studied martial arts like Kalaripayattu and Silambam though." Soma commented. "So if I beat you, You will play with me?"

"Only if you win," I stated. "If you lose, then you must stay quiet and keep out of my way."

"Five bouts in three minutes," Sebastian said as Soma and I took our position.

"The one with the highest score wins." Adam added, then Soma and I began to duell. It was obvious he didn't know how to play so I figured it was an easy win. Unfortunately, the duel was cut short by Agni jumping in front and hitting my inner elbow hard, making it go limp.

"Ci-Ciel sir! My deepest apologies! My body moved on it's own when I thought the Prince was going to lose!" Agni apologized.

"Ahahaha Agni! You have protected a master like me really well. I praise you." Soma said then looked up at me. "Agni is my butler, he's all mine! In other words, I won!"

"That!" I began to protest but Soma cut me off.

"Now you shall play with me!" Soma said happily, until Adam picked up Ciel's foil.

"Then by your logic, Sebastian and I are an extension of our master. Therefore, either one of us could fight for our master. Correct?" Adam asked.

"Indeed, Mr. Adam."Agni replied.

"Ooh this got interesting. I will allow this duel." Soma said, then Sebastian took the foil from Adam.

"Let me, I want this over quickly. We are now ten minutes behind schedule." Sebastian said. _So that was your true motive?_

"Agni, in the name of Kali, You can't lose!"Soma ordered.

"Sebastian, this is an order. Silence the brat!" I ordered.

" _Jo ayna"_ Agni replied. Sebastian smirked a little.

" _Yes My Lord."_


	8. A Helping Hand

_I've had a few complaints on this so this is just as a small note._

 _I change the point of view not at random but for who would fit telling that particular scene the best. I do try to keep the point of view limited to either Ciel's, Sebastian's, Adam's, or omniscient. Hope you enjoy the newest chapter of "_ _ **The Raven and the Dove"**_

Adam's P.O.V.

"Now then, kindly please go easy on me." Sebastian said, settling into a defensive position. Agni didn't seem to listen for he immediately charged Sebastian. I decided to go to Ciel and try to figure out what was wrong with his arm. Whatever Agni had done, it tensed up all the muscles in his lower arm making it painful for him to move.

"My Lord, are you okay?" I asked.

"Yes yes, i'm fine." Ciel replied, trying to get the use of his arm again.

"Alright." I wasn't terribly convinced but I decided to leave it. I turned back to the duel to see that Agni and Sebastian were matched in strength and in skill. _How could that be? Sebastian is fighting at full force too! Perhaps Agni isn't human either . . .He couldn't be a demon, Sebastian made sure he was a demon. But what could he be?_ After a while, the foils met in the middle and snapped. "Well, i believe that would be a draw. Am i correct, my young master?" i asked politely, turning to Ciel.

"Whoa! Agni is the strongest fire in my city! This is the first time anyone had ever ended in a draw with him!" Soma said happily, going to Agni as Sebastian went back to us."I'm impressed. Ciel's butler, seeing that you are so skilled, we shall stop for today!"

"It is my honor," Sebastian replied, bowing to Soma.

"Mr. Sebastian, thank you for exchanging blows with me," Agni said cheerily, which seemed rather suspicious to me.

"I feel the same way. Mr. Agni you really have a fast learning speed." Sebastian replied with a smile. I frowned a little, not liking how chummy they were looking."I can't say that the results will be the same if you are not a novice."

"N-No that's not the case!" Agni stated, then turned to me and Ciel. "Earl Ciel, I am sorry for just now. Does it still hurt?"

"No, it doesn't." Ciel replied.

"I'm very impressed with your skills Agni." I replied politely then Agni and Soma left to discuss something.

"Sebastian, is Agni . ."Ciel began to ask but Sebastian shook his head.

"No he is not like me. Nor is he like that pain Grell. I don't know what he is exactly. He's human, certainly but only partially." Sebastian replied.

"Partial?" I asked, curious.

"My best guess is that he is half-human and half something else but I can't place my finger on it." Sebastian stated, earning a confused look from Ciel.

"Half-human? Is that something that occurs often?" he asked with almost child-like curiosity.

"More common than you would think, young master." Sebastian replied. "In my time, most half-humans I encounter have a demon parent, or in very rare cases a reaper. Agni is nothing like I have encountered before."

"Huh, that's something significant isn't it? You know, with that strength of his, he could easily lift a man . . like to hang him upside down." I suggested. Sebastian smiled a little.

"Your uncanny ability to read my mind has proven itself once again Adam. That's just what I was pondering."

Sebastian's P.O.V.

Later that evening, I truly had enough of Soma's antics. It's bad enough I have to handle those three imbeciles, now I have to handle that bratty Prince. What's worse is that Ciel needed Adam to keep Soma away. _Ugh_ , . As soon as I walked into kitchen, I saw Bard picking up a frying pan.

"Alright, I won't lose to that guy from India! I shall display my wonderful skills today." Bard beamed. _Oh absolutely not._

"There's no need for that," I replied, taking the frying pan out of his hand. "I'll take care of the preparations for tonight's dinner." Bard froze then turned to me with an angry expression on his face, a lit cigarette hanging out of the corner of his mouth.

"Hey what was that all about!? Today, yours truly is going to prepare my specialty dish!" Bard yelled.

"Can you please be quiet?" I asked, annoyed with him then the door of the kitchen opened to reveal Agni.

"Mr. Sebastian, Hope you don't mind this interruption." Agni started, coming into the kitchen. "I was just thinking if there is anything that I can help out with . ."

"Mr. Agni, there is really no need for you too." I explained, prefering Adam's help.

"Two hands are always better than one!" Agni replied cheerily. "Feel free to order me around." _Huh, well I suppose since Adam is preoccupied . . ._

"In that case, may I trouble you with the preparation of the berry sauce for tonight's fish dish as well as the cottage pie." I asked politely, making Bard rather furious with me.

"Sure!" Agni replied with a smile.

"The recipe is placed here," I explained, pulling it out. "We shall substitute the meat in the cottage pie with chicken." Agni went a little wide-eyed in surprise.

"Thank you for being so thoughtful." Agni thanked then started to prepare the cottage pie.

"Hey!" Bard shouted angrily. "Why are you letting him help out and finding me a nuisance! This is like with that kid Adam all .. "

"Bard, you'll get in the way. Kindly stay away," I replied, cutting him off. Bard growled a little then sat in a chair in the corner of the room, huffing at his cigarette angrily. "So much to do, so much to do . . ." I mumbled to myself as I left the room to prepare the rest of tonight's meal.

By the time I came back about half an hour later, I grew wide-eyed at the sight before me. Agni somehow managed for all three of those imbeciles to do something productive for dinner. Agni explained that he believed everyone has some sort of talent, and he only tried to to use Bard, Finnie, and Mey-Rin's "talents" in order to help make dinner. He then explained his relationship with Soma, that Soma saved him from execution and he sees Soma as his "God". I mean, honestly the gods are a useless bunch but I wouldn't discourage him. For now at least. After a while, the other servants left and it was just me and Agni again. Soon I heard the door open and turned to see Adam walk in. Adam became a little wide-eyed seeing us together and got a rather displeased look on his face.

"Need any help Sebastian?" he asked.

"No we've got everything handled here." I replied. He didn't seem to be in his usual cheery mood.

"I see . . if you need me, I'll be outside." Adam replied, then turned to walk out the door.

"Be sure to stay warm, I can't have you getting sick." I responded but Adam already shut the door.

"Mr. Adam doesn't seem very happy." Agni inquired.

"I agree . . " I replied. _I wonder what's bothering him . ._

"If you don't mind me asking, did I step out of line?" Agni asked, a bit concerned he did something wrong.

"No, it's not that." I replied, that's when it hit me. _Wait is he jealous?_ I chuckled a bit at the thought.

"Have I amused you Mr. Sebastian?" Agni inquired, hearing my chuckle.

"Oh no, I thought of something amusing, that's all."

Before dinner began, I decided to check on Adam. When I opened the door to the garden, I saw that it had started to snow. I looked around and frowned immidately at what I saw. Adam was laying on his back in the snow with a mangy mutt on top of him, licking his face which was making Adam laugh. I walked over to him and glared at the dog.

"How did this . . animal get here?" I asked. Adam looked up at me, his golden blonde hair covered in snow.

"No idea. Why? You got a problem with him?" Adam asked with slight irritation.

"You know very well that I don't like dogs." I responded, still glaring at the dog.

"And you know that I do." Adam replied, petting the mutt's head. I let out a sigh.

"Adam, I'd like to talk to you . . .without the . . mutt." I asked, annoyed with the blonde. Adam pouted in that cute way.

"Why? Aren't you busy with Agni?" Adam replied with annoyance. _That proves you were jealous._

"I'm finished with my duities," I replied. "To be frank, I feel that it is a bit childish for you to be acting like this." Adam frowned and sat up

"I'm not acting childish!" he shouted. The dog growled a little at me. I frowned as my eyes turned to their demonic nature, glaring at the foul beast.

"You are." I hissed, scaring the dog.

"And you say I'm the one who's acting childish!" Adam said, his eyes narrowing at me.

"Oh really? Then why are you jealous of Agni?" I replied. Adam grew wide-eyed and a bit angry.

"That's absurd! I'm not jealous of Agni!" Adam shouted.

"You're a terrible liar."

"I'm not lying!"

"Are too."

Adam let out a groan and laid back in the snow, annoyed with me. I let out a sigh and sat next to him. "Adam . . the only one who I enjoy spending time with is you. You are the only one I truly enjoy being with a nothing will change that." I explained the Adam turned to me.

"I know that." he replied. He didn't seem that entirely convinced, and still had a small frown on his face. I decided to change that by making him laugh and started to tickle him. Adam started to laugh as I did so.

"No! No! don't ! Stop!" Adam said between laughs.

"What? Sorry, I didn't hear you." I replied, smiling hearing Adam's adorable laugh which is so rarely heard. What I didn't expect was for Adam to start tickling me back, making me laugh with him.

"H-hey!" I breathed out between laughs.

"Y-you started it!" Adam replied. After a while, we both ended up stopping with Adam partially on top of me, wheezing a little. Worried he may have an asthma attack, I turned his head toward me.

"You okay?" I asked.

"Y-yeah I-I'm fine." Adam wheezed, eventually his breathing calmed. The snow still continued to fall, sticking to Adam's eyes and hair. I smiled seeing this and held his face.

"You're so cute." I muttered. Adam blushed a little.

"Pervy demon," Adam muttered back then leaned in closer and kiss me gently. I smiled and kissed him back, holding him close.

 _Mine._

* * *

 ** _I'm very sorry I took so long to update but I have some bad news. With summer coming, I go full time at my job so I'll be updating very inconsistently. I'll try to update as much as I can so try to bear with me_**

 ** _Please review!_**


	9. Prince Soma's Reality Check

_**Author's note**_

 _ **I'm so so so sorry I haven't been keeping up with this, I've had a lot to do with my new job and to prepare for college in the fall. Writing is honestly the last thing on my mind at the moment so hopefully I will try to keep updating a bit more frequently (also Demon's Child Story which both me and RPbogal have really neglected to work on as well). So I hope you enjoy the newest chapter of the Raven and the Dove and please review!**_

* * *

Ciel's P.O.V.

At dinner that evening, I decided to question Soma about that woman he was looking for. "So who is the woman that you are looking for?" I asked, taking a bite of food.

"She was my servant ever since I was born. You can say that she's like a nanny. We have been together for as long as I can remember." Soma explained while he continued to stuff his face with food. "My father had no interest in me, and my mother only strives to attract my father's attention, paying me no heed. I'm always left on my own in the castle. But Meena is always by my side. She's cheerful, and pretty, and taught me about a lot of things, just like an older sister would." Soma stopped for a moment, like he was reliving the supposed happy times he had with this servant. "I don't feel lonely as long as Meena is with me. I love Meena, and Meena loves me as well. However, that fellow . ." Soma continued, then he got an angry look on his face and slammed his fist on the table. "After the arrival of the English nobles, they took Meena away with them!"

"What exactly happened?" Lau asked, seemingly curious.

"The ruler of India, Queen Victoria recognizes that Bengal enjoys political autonomy. But in actual fact, more than half of the political matters are managed by political consultants sent by England. In reality, we are just like any British-ruled colony." Soma explained. "About three months ago, that fellow went to pay a visit to a political consultant! That person showed interest in my Meena after seeing her in the castle. He took advantage of my absence while I was outside the castle on an observation! And shipped Meena off to England!"

"So in other words, he brought the woman back to England?" I asked.

"Correct! I'm definitely bringing her back to the country with me." Soma said with a huff.

"But you are just kicking up a big fuss over a female servant." I pointed out. I must have struck a nerve because Soma appeared to have gotten very angry and stood up.

"THIS IS NOT A MINOR MATTER!" Soma yelled."The castle is just an empty box without Meena around!" Soma then grabbed me by my coat and pulled me close to his face. "Do you know the despair I felt when I was forced to separate from Meena!? I never felt so . ."

"I don't." I replied in a monotone voice, keeping a steady gaze at the Indian prince. "The meager feelings that arises from that degree of matter, I can not and do not wish to comprehend them!" I got out of his grip, giving him a blank look. "There are some things that you can never get back no matter how much effort you put in. And there are some feelings of despair that you can never even shake off. You're probably unable to comprehend that." I turned and walked out of the room, not wanting to deal with that spoiled brat. I was about to walk away when I heard Adam walk out of the room. I turned to face him and saw he had a worried look on his face.

"Are you alright young master?" he asked. I was a bit surprised by his concern, considering he has been working for me for only a few months.

"Yes, I'm fine. Why do you ask?" I replied.

"I was a little worried, that's all." Adam explained, seemingly sincere. "That brat has put us all on edge." I smirked hearing this from him.

"Yes, I could do with a break from him . . . I expected him to be more mature, and supposedly he's seventeen." I replied, then noticed Adam go a little wide-eyed. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, just surprised . . I'm the same age as him." Adam explained, then it was my turn to go wide-eyed. _Seventeen? I mean, he looked young but I never imagined he was only a couple years older than me._

"I see . . Well keep an eye on him for me. Keep him out of my way." I ordered. Adam bowed politely.

"Yes, sir."

Sebastian's P.O.V.

After discovering Agni's loyalty to West the next evening, it became very clear that Soma was severely shaken by the betrayal of his loyal servant. To be perfectly honest, I don't think he is seeing the big picture here. By the way Agni talked about Soma, it was truly sincere that Agni saw Soma as his god so the only reason I could think of for Agni to work with West is to protect Soma against the truth. My best guess is that Meena came _willingly_ to England to seek a better life as so many other humans have from the chaste system of India. Well, Soma will have to grow up sooner or later and I would prefer it to be a lot sooner. As of right now, he's acting more childish than Ciel with his pouting in the armchair across from Ciel.

"Agni certainly has strength we were not aware of . . almost inhuman." Adam remarked, pouring tea for Ciel.

"It's called Samadhi," Soma replied, looking away from us with his head resting in his hand. "Anyone with it has that power."

"Samadhi?" Ciel questioned as he sipped his tea.

"It has to do with religion, It's like entering a type of trance, isn't it?" I asked, getting a nod from Soma. "Humans are strange creatures. Their blind belief that they call strong faith can call out enormous strength from within. The Vikings of the past called upon Odin, the holy Knights of the Crusades fought in the name of Yahweh." I turned to look at Soma. "And for Agni also, his belief in his one true god Soma allows him to use such power . . bred from love and relief, the power of faith." I looked out of the corner of my eye to see Adam smiling a little as he walked over to pour Agni's tea.

"Then tell me why he betrayed me? How did he leave me behind so easily?!" Soma shouted pushing the tea set aside and causing it to crash onto Adam and spilling the piping hot tea Adam had just poured.

"Ah! Prince Soma control yourself!"Adam shouted a bit but before I could react, Soma slapped Adam across the face hard with an audible _smack._ Then Soma left in a hurry, assuming that he was going to hide in his room. Adam winced and rubbed his cheek, a definite red handprint marking his pretty pale face.

"Are you alright Adam?" Ciel asked, seemingly worried.

"Yes, I'm fine." Adam replied. I could barely contain my anger at the Indian prince. _How dare that spoiled brat strike my Adam! If we were in Hell, I could beat the living daylights out of Soma!_

"Young Master, it appears our guest needs to be taught some manners. May I?" I replied in the calmest voice I could muster. Ciel nodded.

"Alright, Adam could you clean up the broken tea set before someone hurts themselves?" he asked.

"Yes, sir." Adam replied, kneeling on the ground to pick up the broken pieces of porcelain. Now it's up to teach that bratty Prince Soma a lesson he will never forget.

Adam's P.O.V.

After cleaning Soma's mess, I decided to go to Sebastian to make sure he didn't scare Soma _too_ badly. He looked so pissed after Soma slapped me that I thought he would break Soma's neck right on the spot. Then again, I can think of another person who really deserves the full force of his anger . . .Ugh why does my head keep going back to _her?_ I don't live there anymore, she can't touch me while I'm here . .

By the time I got to Soma's room, I could hear Sebastian speaking to Soma, saying that no one really loved Soma. That's when I decided to step in before this went too far. I opened the door to see a wide-eyed Sebastian.

"Adam? What are . " he began but I cut him off.

"I think you chewed him out enough, I can handle it from here."I replied then turned to Soma. "Listen here, you may have grown up in the lap of luxury but that doesn't give you the right to treat people like your playthings. You think your life was tough with your fancy castle and loads of servants? Try living in London without your money or your fancy clothes or Agni. No one has it easy here but we do what we can to make life bearable. You think your nanny leaving you is the end of the world?! You must be fucking joking!" I shouted, having enough with his stupid antics. A gentle hand came on my shoulder, I flinched and turned my head to see Sebastian with a look on his face saying that I did enough. I nodded, understanding and backed off a bit then took a calming breath. "Let me give you a reality check. Prince Soma. Life isn't fair and it isn't going to just give you everything you want because you throw a temper tantrum like a toddler. You have to work for it, fight for it with every last ounce of breath. Am I understood?" Soma, currently against the wall, looked at me with wide eyes and nodded.

"I-I understand."

"Good, now I believe we should return to the young master. Do you agree Sebastian?" I asked, turning to the raven haired man. Sebastian nodded in agreement and we left Soma's room.

"I'm surprised to see you so angry Adam, you're usually so calm." Sebastian remarked. I turned to look up at him.

"Well, I can only take so much of his rotten attitude." I replied, feeling exhausted. Sebastian must have noticed this for he pecked me on the cheek, making me smile a bit. "Idiot."

"Perhaps but I'm your idiot." Sebastian muttered so that no one could hear us.

"I wouldn't have it any other way," I muttered back before seeing Soma run after us.

"I-I'm sorry for breaking the tea set, and for slapping you." Soma stuttered a bit before hiding behind me to apologize to Sebastian too.

"It's fine, now we really should go back. If you really want to understand Agni, and understand other people, you have to drop the prissy attitude and open up your mind to their feelings." I explained. Soma smiled and nodded.

"Got it. You know, you're pretty wise for someone so young." Soma remarked.

"Actually, I'm the same age as you." I replied.

" _WHHHAAAATTT?!"_


	10. The Curry Competition : Part 1

Adam's P.O.V.

After the whole situation with Soma's bratty attitude was cleared up, there was a discussion on why exactly West wanted Agni so badly. According to Ciel, there was some curry competition going on in a week from now and the prize is something called a Royal Warrant, pretty much the approval of the British Crown for businesses. That's what West is after, and to get it he got Agni who apparently is an amazing curry chef. I've never tried the stuff so I can't really give my opinion on it. Ciel got the brilliant idea to enter our own curry and get the Royal Warrant, as penance for making him come to London and to expand into the food industry for the Funtom Company. So for the next few days, Sebastian would make curry until he perfected the entry. After about twenty curries, we found one that was very similar to Agni's but it wasn't quite right.

Sebastian's P.O.V.

That evening, after the other servants had finished their evening meal and left to do their chores, I kept trying to perfect the curry but something wasn't right. I never made the dish before because Ciel doesn't like spicy food so I didn't have much of a foundation to work on. Adam was helping me clean the kitchen so I decided to have him try it. "Adam"

"Yeah?" he replied, cleaning the table.

"Taste this," I asked, gesturing to the bowl of curry. "I can't figure out what's missing."

"Um, okay but I won't be much help. I've never had curry before." Adam replied, putting down the rag and putting a spoonful in his mouth. I watched as his face turned red and he swallowed thickly. It wasn't until after he ate the curry that I realized I gave him one of the spicer of my earlier failed attempts.

"Ugh, too spicy," he complained. "I think Soma would know better than I would." I let out a sigh.

"It's alright, I just can't figure out how to create the depth Prince Soma said it lacked. I wonder. ." I began to ponder, before looking out the corner of my eye to see Adam eating a small piece of chocolate.

"Hm much better," he mumbled. " You know, since we can't get this curry just like Agni's, perhaps we should try to make one that's just as good." I went wide-eyed, realizing what was missing and took the from his hand.

"Adam you're a genius!" I exclaimed, kissing his forehead before going back to cooking.

"Hey! Wait why am I a genius?" Adam asked, confused.

"Wait and you'll see" I replied before quickly cooking a small batch of the curry with the chocolate added. Within a few hours, the curry was finished and I had Adam along with Prince Soma taste it. Both teens went wide-eyed and looked at each other before turning toward me.

"It's not Agni's curry, but it's on par with his hand of God!" Soma replied happily.

"I have to agree, I guess chocolate makes a big difference," Adam commented.

"Chocolate?!" Soma shouted, surprised.

"Indeed, Cacao in chocolate was originally used as a spice which provided a special sweet flavor," I explained, " The cacao, which has fat, milk, and sugar perfectly blended into a chocolate added the rich substance that the curry needed. It's thanks to Adam I got the idea, so thank you."

"Oh, okay I guess that makes sense," Adam commented.

On the day of the curry competition, the townhouse was buzzing with excitement. I was confident in my ability to beat Agni of course. Partly at the will of Ciel, but mostly to make up for the draw two weeks earlier. Once we got to the Crystal Palace, the three servants went wide-eyed at the wonders brought to London from India.

"Woah, what's that large animal?" Finnie asked, pointing to a live and highly decorated elephant.

"It's an elephant," Soma explained, accompanying Finnie over to the animal. "It's a sacred animal, I have about ten at home."

"They can fit such large animals in your house?!" Bard exclaimed.

"Please try not to wander too far away," I warned. Honestly, if they think something like an elephant is amazing, they should see the creatures where I come from.

"Incredible, I've never seen an animal as big as that before," Adam muttered. I turned to see that his eyes were practically glowing with fascination. I chuckled a bit, finding it cute.

"I've seen bigger," I muttered. "One day I'd like to show you them." Adam became a little wide-eyed and turned to me.

"Like what?" he whispered.

"Wild hellhounds twice the size of me, Dragons, and all sorts of magical beasts," I whispered, filling his head with the images of wonder.

"I'd love to see that," Adam muttered. I smiled and pat his shoulder.

"All in good time. Now, come with me for a moment." I asked, moving Adam to the entrance of where I was supposed to go to prepare for the competition.

"Why did you bring me back here?" he asked, cocking his head to one side slightly.

"To ask if you were going to cheer me on during the competition," I asked, smirking a bit. "It would amuse me," Adam seemed a little surprised but let out a slightly exasperated sigh.

"You are a strange man. You don't need me to cheer you on, besides an incentive works better on you." Adam replied and kissed me quickly before pulling away. "There will be more of those after you win, Sebastian." I smiled widely.

"I look forward to that then," I replied before going through the doors to wait with the other competitors. The first one to notice my arrival happened to be Agni.

"Mr. Sebastian!" he called, standing up. "Why are you in such a contest?"

"It was an order from my master," I replied truthfully. Agni went wide-eyed and grabbed me forcefully by the shoulders.

"If Ciel sir put you here thinking that it will help the Prince then please leave!" he begged. I could see his concern and although it was part of the reason, I had no other choice but to lie to him.

"You think my master would do that?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at him in false slight confusion. "Don't worry, my master always puts himself and his company first." Agni seemed a bit surprised but released me and hung his head.

"Please," he muttered. "I do not want to compete against people I owe."

We joined this contest for our own reasons," I partially lied, "It's that simple." Agni raised his head, clenching his fists a bit.

"I . . I have a reason for which I can not lose," he stated.

"What a surprise, so do I," I replied

 _Let the contest begin_

* * *

 _ **I'm so so sorry for this late update. I know I had said previously that I was going to rewrite this story but I have found a new motivation to continue this story in its current form. Thank you for being paitent with me and I hope I can update a bit more consistently in the future.**_


	11. The Curry Competition : Part 2

Adam's P.O.V.

After leaving Sebastian, I headed back to Ciel to find him in the crowd waiting to watch the curry contest. "We have now come to the highlight of _The Empire governed Indian Culture and Prosperity Exhibition_!" a bloke who I assumed to be some sort of announcer shouted. "With the participants from famous curry houses throughout London, let the Curry Show begin! We have prepared a special curry for the guests, now please wait in anticipation!" "Now, today's Judges are a palace chief who will not allow any compromises in taste, Chief Higharm. Next, a tax collector currently serving in India, Mr. Carter." the announcer introduced, gesturing to each judge." the announcer introduced, gesturing to each judge. "And finally, Viscount Druitt, who has a great love of the arts and food." A cold shiver went down my back at the mention of that man. _Ugh, out of all the bloody people in London it had to be that pervert?!_

"Probably bribed his way out," Ciel muttered. "How corrupt."

"Now, these are today's contestants!" the announcer said cheerily. " Chief Tarpin from the Persian Tarb Company, Chief Lach from the Dormitory Vill Company, Chief Rickman from the Dahlia Company, Chief Wollest from the Lippclin Company, Chief Agni from Harold West's Company, and finally the butler Sebastian Michealis from the Funtom Company! With a group like this, I'm sure we can expect some tasty food." _This will certainly be interesting,_ I thought to myself.

As the chefs began to cook, the wonderful smell of food began to drift through the air. It smelled really nice but Agni's and Sebastian's were the most prominent. I had faith that Sebastian would win in this one. After a while, I saw Agni pull out a strange looking blue creature and started to cook it. Before I could ask Ciel what it was, Viscount Druitt began to swoon.

"This is the Royal Blue Lobster!" he exclaimed. I heard West boast, but I was too far away to make out what he said exactly.

"Lobster?" I muttered, unsure.

"It's a type of sea creature but I've never seen a blue lobster before," Soma explained.

"Ah, I see. Thank you." I replied. Ever since Soma got that lecture from Sebastian, we've actually been getting along quite well. He's actually quite tolerable.

"Oh no," Soma muttered, seeing Sebastian make some sort of dough.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"He is attempting to make a Naan, but this place doesn't have the facilities to make a perfect one." Soma explained, "And he has the heat up too high, he'll dry out the curry and it will all go to waste." I put a hand on his shoulder.

"Prince Soma, if I have learned one thing in my many months of knowing Sebastian, it's to trust him," I assured. "Have faith."Soon, time was up and the judging began. The other chefs in the competition didn't really do so well with the judges. Then it came time to judge Agni's curry, which was actually seven curries to go with that blue "lobster" he revealed earlier. I thought that was pretty impressive considering the time restriction and it smelled really good. When the judges tasted it, they all seemed very impressed. But of course, Viscount Druitt took it to the next level.

"Ah! Like the beautiful lady, unexpectedly met, with seven precious stones, wrapping their beauty around!" he exclaimed. "A gold brooch shaped like a dove, a bracelet made of sapphires and pearls, a garnet necklace, a cameo medal, and a diamond and emerald ring on your exquisite fingers. By you, my heart has been stolen from me!" I rolled my eyes, finding him both creepy and a fool. When the plates cleared away, Sebastian walked up to the judge's table and revealed our curry. The whole room went silent seeing three uncooked balls of dough. Sebastian then placed all three balls in a pot of boiling oil, deep frying it. The whole crowd was in complete shock.

"May I present, the Funtom Company's curry bun," Sebastian said with a flair, presented the now deep fried curry buns. "Please, have a taste." The judges seemed a bit put off by the look of it but all three men tried the curry buns. The two normal people seemed to be amazed by the flavor, but of course, Viscount Druitt went completely overboard.

"Ahh! Ohh!" he moaned, which was honestly making me very uncomfortable. "A young lady at the ball that wants me to love her tenderly, the innocent dove with golden blonde hair and shy smile in the daytime, but at night you show your true colors. I wish to hold you tightly in my arms!" A disgusted shiver went down my back, knowing he was talking about me. The judges were in agreement that the Funtom's curry bun was great, causing Finny, Bard, and Mey-Rin to erupt in a tiny chorus of cheers. Soon, the announcer told the crowd that they may sample the curries made while the judges made their decision. It seemed like it was a hard decision to make, I only heard bits of the conversation but it looked like we would win the title.

But it was a tie.

The whole crowd was in complete shock until a whip grabbed the trophy letting out gasps. I turned to see a fancy-dressed bloke with dark glass wrapping around his eyes.

"Please wait," he asked, sounding as rich as he was dressed. All of a sudden, a large white horse stomped on his head, with an elderly woman dressed like a noble lady on it's back. I was about to ask who that was until the crowd began to gasp as she took off a similar glass on her eyes to reveal her face. According to what I heard, this was Queen Victoria. Huh, I imagined her to be much meaner looking but that's based off the grumblings of the people in my village.

"This curry show was indeed exciting," she commented, getting off her horse with the help of the fancy bloke. "The fragrance permeating throughout the room reminds me of a time when I had a curry with my dear Albert on White Island. I received an invitation to be a judge in this contest, I have one vote don't I?" Queen Victoria cleared her throat, I guess she already tried both curries already. She took the trophy and turned to Sebastian. "Funtom Company's butler Sebastian, this is for you," she announced, giving the trophy to him. West went into an uproar and approached them.

"Wh-Why?! How can the curry we made loose to a doughnut stuffed with curry?!" he exclaimed, obviously upset by the fact he lost. Queen Victoria directed his attention to a group of children, who were happily eating our curry buns. According to her, she was impressed that we took such consideration into making a curry that everyone can eat no matter age or wealth. I sort of agree with her, though the idea probably came from how messy Finny gets when he ate the curry during the trials. But we won the Royal Warrant, which will make all but West happy. I just hope Soma and Agni are alright . .

Sebastian's P.O.V.

Though pleased I won the contest, things didn't go as planned as we started to leave. Prince Some had found Meena and discovered the truth of why she left. I'd assume he'd throw a fit but he surprised all of us by apologizing to both Agni and Meena. Some explained that he didn't realize what he a bother he was and apologized for not understanding their feelings. He then kneeled down to Agni, who had been on the floor and crying blood.

"Will you stay by my side and still be my Khana-sama?" he asked nicely.

"Jo Ajha," Agni replied, his tears becoming normal once more. This was rather strange, for I know of only one species . . .Oh, now I understand.

As we exited, Soma accompanied us and turned to Adam.

"I want to thank you, if I had not met you, I'd still be selfish and ignorant of the ways of the world." he thanked, seeming serious. "From now on, I want to try and learn all sorts of new things. And someday, I'll become a great man who won't lose to anyone, and show you!"

"Hey hey no need to make a big deal of it," Adam replied, not liking the attention we were drawing.

"No, I mean it. It is shameful of me that someone of my year had to show me how much I needed to mature." Soma explained.

"Your year?" Finnie asked, curious. Soma wrapped his arms around Adam from behind in a friendly way, _too friendly for my liking._

"Uh huh, we're the same age!" Soma replied.

"Hey get off!" Adam complained, having to support Soma's weight on top of him. Everyone, except myself, Adam, Soma, and Ciel went wide-eyed in shock. I suppose it's not entirely obvious but knowing Adam you would assume he was much older than seventeen by how mature he is. Though, he does have his moments, very similar to Ciel now that I think of it. Soon, we all headed back to the town-house. After tending to my nightly duties, I sneaked off to Adam's room. Adam had been sketching a small oil lamp in the room, eyes focused intensely. I smiled, thinking he was cute when he looks so focused and sat next to him.

"Oh hey," Adam said, looking up.

"Hello to you too," I replied, kissing his temple and wrapping an arm around his waist. "I figured out what Agni was."

"Oh? What is he then? A demon, angel, reaper. .?" he asked, curious.

"A demi-god" I replied. "Half-human, half-god. I imagine one of his Hindu gods but I am not sure which one." Adam went wide-eyed, hearing my explanation.

"Incredible. What of other gods?"

"Besides those in India, I only know of the Greek/Roman gods . . . those idiots are always getting into trouble and tend to have the most demigod children . . I do not know about others, either they don't exist or tend not to stir up trouble." I explained.

"What about, you know . ." he asked, though I already know.

"The Christian God? Not actually a god but a chief angel who died thousands of years ago." I replied, remembering a story my father had told me and my brothers as children.

"Oh, alright then," Adam commented, letting out a small yawn. Noticing this, I gently ran my fingers through his golden locks.

"Rest, it's been a long day," I muttered.

"Hm, I'm fine," Adam replied. "You should head back to your own room before the others notice." I frowned slightly, knowing he was right.

"Alright. sleep well, my love," I replied, kissing him gently before exiting the room and closing the door.


	12. Missing Children

Adam's P.O.V.

Soon after the competition, the three of us headed back to the manor. Frankly it was a relief to finally go home after all the madness in London. However, Agni and Soma decided to join us instead of returning to India. This lead to a number of little . . outbursts.

"Ciel! Ciel!" Soma shouted, bursting into Ciel's study as I was pouring his early morning tea. "What's that square box?! Are there people inside?! There was a man who beat up bad guys"

"Oh shut up! Don't go yelling this early in the morning!" Ciel shouted back, obviously annoyed then let out a groan. "When are you two going home to India?"

"Going home?" Soma asked, a confused look on his face. "What are you saying? Aren't I staying in England for your sake? Didn't you say that you didn't believe me when i said I'd become a great man? So I'm staying until I become one so I can show you!" This clearly irritated Ciel. Though I must admit Soma's intentions were sort of noble, it wasn't helping Ciel's foul mood. Agni popped his head into the room, obviously looking for Soma.

"Prince! You were here with Lord Ciel after all." Agni said with a smile. "You weren't in your room, so I was wondering where you had gotten to."

"What do you mean "his room"?" Ciel stated, his eye twitching in annoyance. I don't recall saying you could live here. . ."

"Besides that, how does the square box work?" Soma interrupted. Ciel growled a bit.

"Listen when other people talk!" he shouted. That's when I decided to intervene.

"That box is a radio. It has no people inside but a sort of recording of people talking. Typically, it is used for entertainment and news. I don't really know how it works specifically, you would have to ask Sebastian for that. He may know." I explained calmly.

"Oooh okay!" Soma replied cheerfully and left to find Sebastian, Agni following behind him. Ciel let out a groan and put his head on his desk.

"Thank you for getting rid of him." Ciel mumbled.

"You're welcome." I replied "Actually, I may have a more permanent solution." Ciel perked up hearing this and looked up at me.

"Oh?"

"Well to satisfy both your need for space and Prince Soma's desire to be a great man, why don't you have him manage the townhouse in London?" I suggested. "That way, he can stay in England but he's not in the way . .at least, not all the time." Ciel smirked hearing this, which I've come to know as his approval.

"That may work. Excellent idea, Adam." he praised. I smiled hearing this, knowing it doesn't come too often.

"Thank you. Shall I inform them of their new task?" I asked.

"That won't be neccesary." Ciel replied, having opened a letter from the Queen. "We're being called to London again."

"A new case, sir?" I asked, a bit surprised. _That was quick, we only just got back to manor a few days ago._

"Yes. Apparently, there is a traveling circus coming to London. In every stop they have made, a significant number of children have gone missing without a trace. We can't have that continue." Ciel explained, pulling out three ticket stubs.

"I see. I'll prepare for our departure then." I replied, leaving the room.

Ciel's P.O.V.

As soon as we got to London, we got straight to work by going through the files about the missing children. "It's very convenient that Sir Arthur is out." I commented as Sebastian went through the numerous files.

"Please Stop!" Abberline said, "If the Commissioner finds out. . . "

"Just make sure he doesn't" Adam replied. "

"Listen, this is the third floor. How did you get in here?!" Abberline asked.

"Well, Sebastian?" I said, ignoring Abberline. Sebastian stood up and held a file in his hand.

"No bodies have been found that match the missing persons reports." Sebastian replied. "We'll leave when you're finished copying. And we might as well borrow the photos."

"You can't do that!" Abberline shouted.

"If you're caught, just say I took them." I told Abberline.

"That'll get me into more trouble!" He exclaimed.

"You've been a great help, Mr. Abberline." Adam told the officer, giving him a small smile. "We do appreciate your cooperation." This immediately shut him up as the three of us walked out of the room.

We walked in silence to the carriage that was waiting for us. "It seems like they are all still unaccounted for." Adam said as I got into the carriage.

"That may be true on the world of the surface, but . . ." I replied, "In the Underworld, there's a possibility that they might already be . . ."

"Will we be visiting his place once again?" Sebastian asked. I sighed "To be honest, I want to avoid it, but . .It can't be helped". Adam shuddered a bit and climbed into the driver's seat, leading us straight for Undertaker.

When we arrived at the Undertaker's shop, it appeared to be empty. "Are you here, Undertaker?" I said. A raspy laugh echoed through the room.

"Welcome, My Lord." Undertaker replied. I heard something roll across the floor; Adam pulled me back just in time to see a human skull roll where we were previously standing. "Did you finally want to get into one of my special coffins?" I turned to see the Undertaker standing a few feet away.

"Listen, you-" I began.

"Please, have a seat." The Undertaker interrupted.

"Children's bodies, eh?" Undertaker asked.

"The surface world has not yet found the missing corpses, it seems." Sebastian replied. "Children's corpses are an everyday affair in the underworld." Undertaker explained, seeming almost saddened by the statement. "I'm sure you know that very well."

"We've brought you the documents." I told the Undertaker as Sebastian handed him the files. "Are there any children you've 'tided up' amongst them?" I asked. The Undertaker looked through the files.

"I wonder . . Were they there?" Undertaker asked, picking up one of the missing children's files. "If I saw something interesting, I think I'd remember . . ." He looked up at the three of us. "You know what I want. Give me prime laughter, and I'll tell you anything!"

"Ada-" I began to say.

"Relying on your little servant, my Lord?" Undertaker interrupted "Aren't you able to do anything on your own?" Undertaker smirked "Well, anyone entertaining enough will do, really." I growled, annoyed by the comments.

"Fine, I'll do it" I stated

"You will?" Sebastian asked, surprised.

"You get out." I said, turning toward Sebastian. "And don't you dare look inside, that's an order!" Sebastian bowed,

"Yes, My Lord." he replied, leaving.

"Undertaker, it's rather rude to belittle my young master. Humor is not one of his strong points, so I ask if you'll allow me to give you your payment." Adam stated. Undertaker smirked and chuckled.

"Ooh, I knew I liked you. Alright." Undertaker replied.

"Okay then," Adam replied, then told another of his puns. Undertaker burst into laughter, barely stopping to take a breath.

"Where do you get those from?" I asked, a bit curious.

"Bard mostly," Adam replied. "He tries to be funny with food puns."

"I see. You can let Sebastian in. Don't tell him you made the pun." I ordered.

"Yes sir," Adam replied then opened the door to let Sebastian inside. After a few minutes, Undertaker finally calmed down.

"There, I gave you your reward; now tell me about the children!" I asked, annoyed

"There aren't any." Undertaker replied.

"Huh?" Adam, Sebastian, and I said at once.

"None of these children were my clients." Undertaker explained. "And I haven't heard any rumors from the Underworld companies."

"In other words, you know nothing about this case." I asked, thinking this was pointless.

"That's not it." The Undertaker replied, eating one of his bone treats. "I know that I _don't know_ anything."

"That would mean that no one in the Underworld killed them." Adam thought aloud. "If they haven't been found in either circle, there's a good chance that they are still alive."

"We have no choice but to investigate the circus firsthand." I continued. "Undertaker, contact me if any information surfaces."

"Keep your soul safe, at least," Undertaker warned eerily.

"I know that," I replied, as we walked out of the Undertaker's shop.


	13. Introducing the Noah's Arc Circus

Adam's P.O.V.

I would be lying if I said I wasn't excited to see this circus. I've never been to one and I couldn't help to contain my excitement. I looked around in wonder at the grandness of the tent. Sebastian must have noticed because he had begun to chuckle a bit. Soon we took our seats and the lights begun to dim. Soon, a singular light shone in the middle of the stage. A young man, only a few years older than myself, with bright orange, spiky hair appeared in a jester-like costume.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls of all ages! Welcome to the Noah's Ark Circus!" he announced, beginning to juggle several brightly-colored balls. "My name is Joker! If you'll look here-"The balls he was juggling came crashing down onto his head, causing the rest of the audience to laugh. That's when I noticed that one of his hands were fake, it was like a skeleton hand. "The whole circus is jostling for a chance to give you a fun show!" Joker said. "With one blow from the fire-breathing Jumbo, the show of the century begins!" An enormous, muscular man appeared behind Joker, and spewed out a column of flame.

"First, our flying trapeze artists, perfectly in tune with each other!" Joker said, directing the audience's attention to the two children on the trapeze, a blond-haired boy, and a brown-haired girl. "Peter and Wendy!"

"Next, our knife thrower, the perfect shot who never misses his target," Joker said, directing the audience to a blond and black-haired man throwing knives at a woman on a spinning wheel. "Dagger!"

"And next, look above you Ladies and Gentlemen!" Joker said. I looked up, seeing a woman dressed in white on the tightrope. "A death-defying tight-rope walk by the princess of our circus, Doll!"

"Next is a rare snake/human half-breed." Joker said, directing the audience's attention to the man with white hair and patches of what appeared to be scales on his skin."Our serpent-man, Snake!" _If they don't intend to make a show of the children, perhaps the circus's movements and the children's disappearances are a coincidence?_

"Last but not least, the star of our troupe!" Joker said, gesturing toward a woman with short black hair holding a whip. "Our wild cat tamer, Beast!".

"No children in the final act either." Ciel said, "This was a waste of time."

"For this Final Act, we would like a volunteer from the audience." Joker said. Sebastian then stood up from his seat, wanting to volunteer

"What is it? Did you find some-"I began.

"That really distinguished-looking man in the tail coat!" Joker said, pointing to Sebastian. "Come on Down!" _So that's it! This is a chance to make contact! The Mystery case where children disappear one by one, the only clue to the truth of the situation is this circus. Making contact with them is a success, but how does he plan on investigating with this many people?_ _Unless . ._

"Don't you freaking dare," I whispered, but Sebastian did not listen as he walked toward the center of the tent.

"What is he doing?" Ciel asked.

"Taking his obsession to the next level . that large animal with the orange fur, it is a tiger yes?" I asked.

"Yes, it is. What's your point?" he asked.

"Tigers are cats, correct?" I replied. Ciel seemed confused for a moment then went wide-eyed.

"Oh bloody hell!" Ciel cursed, face-palming. At that moment, the tiger that Sebastian had been petting had just bitten his head, making the crowd erupt in screams.

Sebastian's P.O.V.

By the time we left the circus, both Ciel and Adam were very cross with me but for slightly different reasons. Ciel from annoyance and Adam from worry.

"Who said you could go _that_ far?" Ciel asked.

"My apologies, my Lord," I said, though I wasn't that sorry at all. "I've lived for such a long time, but it's only cat's fickle emotions I cannot read."

"What were you thinking, being far more conspicuous than necessary?" Ciel demanded, and then sneezed. "You know I'm allergic to cats!" Ciel shouted. "Stay far back!" I obeyed and stayed back with Adam.

"You're a bloody idiot, you know that?" Adam muttered. "You could have gotten really hurt." I opened my mouth to explain that even if the tiger had crushed my head, I wouldn't have allowed it. But I knew that would not ease his worry.

"I'm sorry I made you worry," I whispered. Adam let out a sigh.

"There you are!" I heard Joker say. "You in the tailcoat, hold on a sec!" We both turned to see the ringmaster Joker come running toward us. "I'm really sorry about earlier." Joker apologized.

"No, please accept my apologies instead," I said.

"He's quite fond of cats." Adam continued.

"Oh i see. I was surprised, 'cause you suddenly got so close to the tiger." Joker said. "You okay from the bite?" We got a special doctor here, and I was thinkin' he should check you out. Please, come around back." _This is perfect!_ Sebastian smiled.

"In that case, I will. Can you escort the master back to the carriage?" I asked, turning to Adam. Adam nodded and left to go to Ciel. After going backstage and going to their doctor, I decided that the only way to investigate this circus was to infiltrate it. I made the suggestion that I would like to join, as well as Adam and Ciel. Joker agreed, but stated that Adam and Ciel would need to have the entrance exam first. I accepted his terms and went back to the carriage.

Adam's P.O.V.

"Report." Ciel ordered when Sebastian came back.

"I'm afraid I was interrupted before I'd made a full circuit of the camp." Sebastian reported. "I'd like to penetrate deeper into the organization, but I have a request for the two of you in that regard. . ." "What?" I asked. Sebastian smirked and explained his plan; the three of us would join the circus in order to investigate it.

"Does it inconvenience you, my Lord?" Sebastian asked when we arrived back at the townhouse. Ciel sighed

"We can argue about this later. I'm exhausted." Ciel groaned a bit. Before any of us could say another word, Prince Soma came bursting into the room.

"Adam! Ciel! You're Late! Are your plans for the day over?!" Soma asked excitedly.

"Welcome home," Agni said, greeting us.

"Right, I forgot _you_ were here." Ciel muttered. I could see Ciel growing incredibly annoyed by Prince Soma's presence. "I'm not in the mood to deal with you two right now." Ciel told Prince Soma as we walked up the stairs to the second floor.

"What?! But I've been so excited to challenge you to that 'chess' game of yours!" Soma said, pouting

"I said No!" Ciel replied angrily.

"What's wrong, Ciel? That's a really sour look! You could at least greet me with a smile!" Prince Soma said.

"Shut it!" Ciel shouted. "I'm _Tired!_ So keep quiet!" This immediately shut Prince Soma up. Sebastian followed Ciel upstairs, leaving me to deal with Prince Soma. He gave me a pleading look, so I figured that if I played chess with him for a little while, he would get off Ciel's nerves. "Only for a little while. We have a long day tomorrow." I admitted.

"Thank you!" Prince Soma said, excitedly. _This is going to be a long night._

The next morning, we went for the entrance exam. I arrived in similar clothes to yesterday and Cial was dressed as a street urchin. "Ah what's your names boys?" Joker asked.

"Finnian," Ciel replied, lying. That's when I realized I probably should lie too. I racked my brain for names until one popped up from some very distant memory.

"Aaron," I stated.

"Those are imposing names," Joker said. "If you two join, I'll give you stage names. Cuteness isn't enough to join the circus. You have to perform." Joker explained, then turned to Ciel "Boy, what's your strong point?"

" Um . . . darts, I suppose." Ciel told him.

"In that case, we'll do knife-throwing." Joker said. "Dagger, lend him a knife." Dagger put a handful of throwing knives into my open hands. Joker directed him toward a target, and told Ciel to go for it. Ciel took a deep breath, and threw a knife at the target. It spun and was about to hit the ground when its path was re-directed and it stuck into the target's head. Ciel repeated this several more times until all the knives were gone. I looked back at the circus members, who were in awe.

"Will that be all?" Ciel asked.

"Seems like you got control over it," Joker said, then turned to me. "Now what's your strong point?"


	14. Demon, Smile, and Angel

Sebastian's P.O.V.

"Doll! Make sure that lifeline is tied tightly!" Joker shouted up to Doll, who was tying a rope around Adam's waist. The second part of the exam was to walk across the tightrope, chosen by Joker himself. I wish they had done something less dangerous but I can't voice my concerns. I can only hope Adam has decent balance. I looked up to the platform to see Adam shaking, most likely from fear and began to walk across. I held my breath, only able to watch as he slowly made his way toward the center of the tent. Then Adam's foot slipped on the rope and began to lose his balance. Panicking, I picked up a stone and flicked it towards his left hip to straighten him. Luckily, the stone hit his mark and Adam finished walking across. _That was the worst three minutes of my life,_ I thought as Adam untied the rope and climbed down.

"Excellent! You had me worried for a moment" Joker commented with a smile.

"That makes two of us," Adam replied, rubbing his hip a little.

"Now, I just need you two to do something. It's extremely important and very simple." Joker ordered in a serious tone, then smiled innocently. "A big ol' smile!" The three of us looked at each other then back at Joker.

"Easy enough," Adam muttered before smiling. _Ah, so cute._ Ciel growled a little then forced himself to smile.

"Excellent, you both are in. Now we just need to get all three of you a costume and I'll give ya the grand tour!" Joker replied. _Well, that's a relief. Hopefully, we can get this done quickly. Ciel will not tolerate this sort of living for long_. We were then taken to a tent filled with costumes to be measured. I was given a black suit similar to my uniform with a purple tie, secured with a skull. My costume also includes a top hat with a matching ribbon and a purple streak was painted down my right eye. Oddly enough, Adam's costume was near identical to mine except for white and gold with a star securing his tie and no hat. Ciel was soon given his costume and the three of us headed back to Joker.

"Now, you just need yer stage names." Joker decided.

"Do we choose our own or do you decide?" Adam asked, curious.

"Hmm, well do ye have one in mind?" Joker replied, "Normally, I choose but if you have an idea . ." Adam thought for a moment, then smiled a little.

"Well, considering how similar our costumes are," Adam started, gesturing to himself and me, "Perhaps our stage names could be Angel and Demon?" I smirked a little. _How Ironic ... though it does make sense._ Joker thought for a moment, then grinned.

"I like it! Alright, Angel and Demon it is!" Joker replied happily, then turned to Ciel. "And you shall be Smile! It fits such a cute boy like yourself. Now let's introduce you to the others." Joker gathered all the other circus performers in the main tent. "Everyone, From today on, we have some new friends!" Joker told the rest of the circus performers. " Joker pointed to me "This is Demon!"

"It's a pleasure to meet you," I said, giving them a close-eyed smile.

"The blonde is Angel." Joker introduced, gesturing to Adam.

"Hello everyone," Adam replied, smiling shyly.

"And the boy is Smile! Give them a warm welcome everyone!" Joker said, earning some kind smiled from the crowd of performers.

"Go on, Smile, greet your elders," I said, trying to hold back a laugh.

"We're pleased to meet you all." Ciel replied through gritted teeth.

"C'mon Smile, smile!" Joker said.

Adam's POV

"Now, I'll take you on a quick backstage tour! These'll be the tents you guys'll sleep in." Joker explained, pointing toward a row of yellow tents. "It's where the backstage workers an' newcomers - 'the second-tier members' – live." Joker pulled back the opening of one to show us inside one " 'bout two or three people share a room." He then proceeded to show us the mess hall and the store-room, before finally leading us to a fence that surrounded half a dozen, purple tents. "The main cast's private tents." Joker said.

"Private tents?" Ciel asked.

" S'a private room to get if you're real good." Joker explained, then pointed to a private tent at the end of the line. "That's Snake's tent, so stay away for your own good. There's a bunch of poisonous snakes roaming free, so if you get bit even once, you're off to the Underworld. "Snake an' his friends still shy, y'know? Careful of their poison, you three." Joker said, then gave Ciel an odd look. "By the way, what happened to your right eye, Smile?" Ciel touched the eye-patch that covered his contract-marked eye

"This is . . . There was an accident." Joker gave Ciel a sad look

"Is that so, so young but, you've been through a lot." Joker then smiled and put his arm around Ciel's shoulder "Everyone here's been through something, so you'll get along well with 'em."

"Did everyone join during the tour like we did?" I asked Joker, trying to change the subject. Joker turned to look at me

"S'true for most everyone, but we first-stringers 're all from the same hometown. We're childhood friends." Joker explained.

"Childhood friends?" Sebastian asked. "Yeah, but Snake's still a new face." Joker told us. "His snake charming's none too shabby an' we didn't have a snake-handler, so he quickly became a member. The perks are much sweeter if you're a first string member, an' you don't gotta worry about survival of the fittest. You even get a private tent." Joker explained. "That's why everyone's working hard to compete to be a first-tier member." Joker then led us to the practice tent. "New people practice over an'over here." Joker explained "Aiming to make their debut in a real public performance." Joker then turned to look at us "Work on the basics first, Warm up carefully and . ."

"Joker, It's almost your turn!" Someone called. I turned to see that it was the wild-cat trainer, Beast. She took one look at Sebastian and turned away in disgust.

"Go ahead an' go all out you three!" Joker said, then followed Beast out of the practice tent.

"The poisonous snake tent is the entrance to the first tier members' tents, huh." Ciel said in a quiet voice so the others didn't hear. "Instead of a guard dog, It's guard snakes, isn't it?"

"To enter the private tents, we must become first-tier members." I said as I stretched. I turned to Sebastian, "Poisonous snakes shouldn't be an issue, right? You can see if the children are here or not?"

"They're not here." Sebastian replied.

"Huh?" Ciel and I replied.

"I couldn't sense the children's souls during the tour or last night during the performance." Sebastian explained.

"Even so, we have no evidence there's no relation to the children's disappearances." Ciel told us as Sebastian helped him stretch. "We haven't searched through every nook and cranny."

"There is always the possibility their current condition is such that we can't sense their presence." Sebastian said.

"Don't say that." I said. "She wishes for the children's safe return."

"Understood," Sebastian said.

"Hey! Don't stretch so sluggishly you three!" Dagger said, coming into the practice tent.

"Mr. Dagger, what about your performance?" one of the newcomers asked.

"Today I was the top batter!" Dagger told him. "I'm already done and observing practice." Dagger then turned back toward me, Ciel, and Sebastian. "First, you gotta decide your program." Dagger explained. "What are you hoping for?"

"A program that doesn't involve using my body for something like tight-rope walking would be good." Ciel said. Dagger laughed.

"You seem rather frail, so I'll be earnestly teaching Smile knife-throwing. What about you, Angel?"

"I don't have any particular preference" I replied. "Though I'm not that good at tightrope." Dagger thought for a moment

"You were pretty good at the knife-throwing so why don't you join me and Smile?"

"Sounds good to me." I replied honestly

"Alrighty then," Dagger said, then turned to Sebastian. "What about you, Demon?"

"I don't have any particular preference," Sebastian replied.

"If there is something you see and it looks like you can do it, give it a try!" Dagger said. With that, Sebastian was off doing numerous tricks with ease. First doing the trapeze, juggling, pole-climbing, rings of fire, high-wire, trampoline, and was about to swallow a sword when . . . ."Enough! Enough!" Dagger said.

As the other second-string members complemented Sebastian, Ciel and I walked up to him "You're getting too carried away" Ciel muttered. "Act more like a new -"

"C'mon honestly! Another super newcomer's appeared? I won't lose y'know!" Dagger said. "Another?" Adam asked. Dagger nodded "There is an amazing guy who just joined." Dagger explained. "Look over there!" The three of us looked in the direction Dagger was pointing to and I saw who he was talking about. "He was some sorta government worker, and he's totally serious." Dagger explained, "Hey! Come down here for a sec, Suit!" The other 'super newcomer' came down from the tightrope. I recognized him almost immediately. It was that grim reaper, William T. Spears.

"Another?" Adam asked. Dagger nodded

"There is an amazing guy who just joined." Dagger explained. "Look over there!" The three of us looked in the direction Dagger was pointing to and I saw who he was talking about. "He was some sorta government worker, and he's totally serious." Dagger explained, "Hey! Come down here for a sec, Suit!" The other 'super newcomer' came down from the tightrope. I recognized him almost immediately. It was that grim reaper, William T. Spears.

Ciel's POV

"So it was you, wasn't it. I thought I sensed an unpleasant aura," Spears said. "Honestly." Spears pointed his long-range death scythe at Sebastian and nearly hit him. "I did not think we would meet again, what did you come to fish for this time?" He pointed his death scythe at Sebastian's throat.

"Hey, lay off Suit." Adam said, getting between Sebastian and Spears. "Demon has done nothing wrong." Spears glared at Adam then pushed up his glasses.

"Even under the best of circumstances, in this time of grim reaper shortages . . . " Spears said. "With demons appearing like this, I will be thrown off my schedule." Dagger went up and gave Will a light smack to the head.

"Give it up, forehead! You said it with such a straight face, I couldn't tell you were joking! Since his first day he came here, this guy's been telling jokes" Dagger explained, trying not to laugh. "Stuff about 'souls' and such, He's a real hardcore occult fan!" Spears straightened his glasses.

"Though they're not actually jokes." he muttered.

"I'll introduce you, the big one is Demon." Dagger said, pointing to Sebastian. "That's Smile and that one is Angel." He said, pointing to me then Adam. Dagger then patted Sebastian's and Spears' shoulders. "Well, bond over your hopes and get along well!" William turned and walked away.

"Sorry, but there's no way I'm getting along with savage beasts." Spears spat out.

"'No Way?"' Dagger said, calling after Spears "The circus is about teamwork!"

"Why would a grim reaper be in a place like this?" I asked, suspicious of the stoic grim reaper.

"A grim reaper personally infiltrating a place is rare," Sebastian explained, an annoyed look on his face

"Now we know one thing for sure," Adam said. "There is something in this circus after all."


	15. First Day at the Circus

"Sebastian, it seems like there could be some value in sounding him out." Ciel said, before Dagger came up from behind him.

"Heey, what are you doing Smile?!" Dagger asked him "You gotta practice so you don't lose to Demon! Practice!"

"Y-yes." Ciel said, before Dagger dragged him off to teach him about knife-throwing. Adam let out a sigh.

"Let me join you, I don't trust that reaper." Adam commented, slightly annoyed.

"Alright, just stay close." I warned then the two of us went up to the reaper. "Pardon me, but there's something I'd like for you to tell me, sir." The reaper pushed up his glasses.

"I have nothing to say to you." the reaper replied, and tried to walk off. I grabbed his wrist before he could walk away "Don't say that. Why don't we go outside?"

* * *

"What a disaster," the reaper said once we were out of earshot. "Honestly, even though the London division is understaffed due to a vacancy in the collections division, having to send me, from management, out is . . ."

"Then, why is someone as busy as you out in this place?" I asked. He pushed up his glasses again.

"I'm having to clean up after that trash officer who's still undergoing punishment." The reaper explained. "I didn't expect special treatment, but I didn't think I'd be forced out just because I was in the same class as that."

"For a grim reaper to sneak in on an investigation, is it some sort of special situation?"I asked with a smirk.

"There's no way I'd release information about souls to a demon." The reaper said, an almost disgusted look on his face when he said the last word. "It'd be like throwing a rabbit in front of a wolf."

"I have no interest in poor-quality souls." I smiled sadistically at the studious reaper. "I grew tired of the behavior of messily sampling every dish available a long time ago." I then revealed the contract mark on my hand. "Besides, I'm collared now. Please don't worry yourself." The reaper's eyes narrowed, then sighed

"All right. Since, the worst of the evil appeared 'before the job.' I'll get right to the point." the reaper replied, then pulled out a file. "I'll say it clearly. In a few days, there will be an inspection of a large quantity of souls. This is a special case, so please refrain from getting in my way."

"My, My, how difficult to handle alone." I said. "But this large quantity of souls . . . shall a demon like me offer you assistance with them?" The Reaper aimed his death scythe at me and extended it, only to get caught on my top hat, and bringing it a few feet into the air.

"I won't forgive any overtime." The Reaper said, angrily.

"Hey, let's make a deal here alright?" Adam said, speaking up and grabbing my hat. "That large quantity of souls, are any of them children?"

"That's none of your business, stay out of this." the reaper spat out. "You humans shouldn't be concerned with matters not in your hands." Adam scowled a little.

"Shut the Hell up, you prick. I only asked because our master was sent here to find the location of multiple missing children. So, tell us what we want to know, and we'll stay out of your way. Savvy?" Adam replied with a sort of confidence I have not seen. I smirked hearing this and pet his head affectionately.

"Angel is right. We're only here because of our master." I replied. "I'd rather not be associated with a grim reaper like yourself." The reaper only scoffed and walked away. Adam let out a sigh and ruffled his hair.

"Well, that went well." he commented sarcastically.

"I suppose it could have gone worse," I responded, then looked down at him and smirked. "You're gaining some fire. I like it." Adam smiled and gently punched my shoulder.

"You like a feisty man, don't you?" Adam remarked, smirking. I smiled and kissed his cheek.

"I like you, my darling." I muttered. "Come now, the performance is ending soon." Adam nodded in response then the two of us walked toward the center of camp where Joker would give out the tent assignments.

"For fairness, these're results of the lottery. Angel and Demon, you are in Tent 9." Joker said. I mentally sighed in relief. _At least we can move around the circus with more ease._ "And your roommate will be Suit."

"What?" I said, not believing what I was hearing. I could already feel the negative tension from the reaper, growing stronger and stronger by the minute..

"This is the worst." the reaper grumbled.

"I'll say it back at you." I replied, annoyed.

"Wait, why am I not with Angel and Demon?" Ciel asked, concerned. Dagger laughed and wrapped his arm around Ciel, much to the young boy's displeasure.

"Aww can't last a night without them?" Dagger teased. "You need ta be more independent Smile!" Ciel growled a little and was ready to rip Dagger's arm off by the look in his eyes.

"Hey, lay off Dagger." Adam defended. "Smile only had me and Demon to keep him out of trouble. That's not going to go away in a less than a day." Ciel went wide-eyed hearing this but nodded.

"Y-Yes that's right." he muttered. Dagger seemed to get the message and backed off.

"Don't worry Smile, Ya still gots a roommate in Tent 8" Joker said, referring to the young man with short brown hair that was swept over one deep-blue eye and had freckles that dotted across his nose.

"It's nice to meet you Smile." The man said smiling and offering his hand out to Ciel. "I'm Freckles."

"Nice to meet you too." Ciel replied, reluctantly shaking his hand. Soon we all headed off to our tents. I wasn't at all pleased that I have to share a space with that damn reaper but I still have Adam so I suppose it's not that terrible. The reaper sat down on the lower bunk and drew a line in the dirt from the third bed to the lower bunk bed.

"Behind this line lies my private property now, as of such, please do not set foot here at any cost." he ordered. "Your bed is the upper bunk"

"Understood" I replied sarcastically.

"Truly, why must I live together with the likes of a demon . ." the reaper complained.

"Because you have a job to do and so do we. So you better get used to it." Adam replied, his eyes twitching in annoyance. The reaper scowled at Adam then pushed up his glasses. Adam glared back and climbed into the top bunk, kicking off his shoes and laying down. I joined him, holding Adam close to me in a protective manner. Adam soon relaxed in my arms and eventually fell into the peaceful embrace of sleep. I smiled a bit, gently petting his head as he breathed slowly. Demons don't necessarily require sleep, it's more of a luxury. But I was willing to lie motionless to avoid that damn reaper, but more so to not disturb my lover's sleep.

"You've reached a new low, demon." the reaper remarked. I scowled hearing this.

"Pardon?" I muttered, careful not to move too much.

"You made that boy believe you love him," the reaper continued, sitting on his bed. "Just to eat his soul. It's repulsive." I growled, my eyes glowing demonically in anger.

"My feelings for Adam are not fake. Kindly stay out of my personal life." I muttered. The reaper said nothing more, so I assume he went to sleep. I let out a sigh and settled down again.

 _This is going to be a long night._

Adam's P.O.V.

By dawn the next morning, the circus was already abuzz with performers preparing breakfast. I found Ciel in one corner, trying to unsuccessfully peel potatoes. I let out a sigh, feeling bad for him.

"Smile, allow me." I spoke up, sitting on the barrel next to Ciel and began to peel potatoes quickly and efficiently. Within 20 minutes, the entire bag of potatoes minus two were peeled and ready to be cooked.

"How on Earth did you do that so fast?" Ciel asked, wide-eyed in surprise.

"Years of practice. Now, let me show you how I do it." I replied, showing Ciel what I had done and correcting his mistakes before he got one almost perfect potato. I smiled proudly and ruffled his hair affectionately. "There you go." I remarked, before realizing what had done and removed my hand. Ciel looked up at me in surprise but didn't seem angry at my affectionate gesture. Actually, he seemed sort of happy.

"Thank you Ad- . er Angel." he thanked, before Freckles dragged Ciel away to get breakfast. I smiled a bit seeing this. _Maybe this will be good for him, learn some skills and get practice at making friends._

Unfortunately, I was very wrong.

After practice, I walked toward the showers hoping it would be empty when I saw Ciel run away. What surprised me was that he was soaking wet and appeared to be shaking badly. I followed swiftly behind him, grabbing a towel. Ciel ended up behind a row of carriages, knees to his chest as he shivered. I hesitantly went to him, kneeling to Ciel's level and draped the towel around him. As i gently dried him off, Ciel looked up at me with a surprised look on his face.

"We can't have you catching a cold, young master." I muttered, "If I may ask, what happened?" Ciel stayed quiet then started to shake again.

"F-Freckles took me into the showers a-and tried to take off my shirt . . H-he saw the b-brand." he mumbled with shame heavy in his voice. I went wide-eyed then stayed quiet, unsure for a few moments what to say.

"We all have scars we don't want others to see."I muttered. "Some are mental . . and some are physical." Ciel looked up at me with a questioning look in his eyes. I let out a small sigh and popped open the first four buttons on my shirt. I pulled my shirt collar down over my left shoulder, revealing the partially burned and scarred skin of my shoulder. My young master went wide-eyed in horror as I buttoned my shirt back up.

"W-what . . what did that?" he asked.

"It's a story for another time." I replied, then helped him stand up. "Now, let's get you some dry clothes."


	16. Tom the Piper's Son

Adam's P.O.V.

By evening, Ciel and Sebastian came up with the plan. While the other members of the circus were performing, the three of us would split up and go through the first tier members tents. Sebastian would take care of the snakes and release them before the other members get back. But as soon as we're done, we can head home. This isn't a bad life but I could tell Ciel couldn't take much more of it.

"Everyone! The performance is about to begin, so hurry up!" Joker called.

"D'ya know where my headdress is?" Wendy asked.

"Here it is," Sebastian replied, bringing it to her.

"We dun't 've enough knives!" Dagger shouted. "Are there spares?"

"Right here!" I said, bringing the crate of spare knives to Dagger, then sitting down on a stool to catch my breath. Ciel soon sat down near me, breathing heavily. I looked around to see everyone else had gone, except for Sebastian. He turned to us, seeming to be a bit concerned.

"We have to be done in ten minutes," Ciel told Sebastian.

"Yes, my Lord," Sebastian replied.

"Black!"

Joker's voice stopped us in our tracks. We turned to see Joker carrying Wendy with Peter trailing behind him. "Miss Wendy twist'd 'er ankle, so she cun't appear in performance 'nymore." Joker explained. "Please go out in 'er place! It'll be yer turn shortly, so please git ready soon!" Joker then carried Wendy to the first-aid tent.

" 'Tis a pity, young master. We'll have to wait for another chance." Sebastian commented.

"We don't need to sneak into that place for long," Ciel said. "On top of that, Now might be the only time when that person isn't in there."

"We have time, the toughest part is the venomous snakes."I pointed out. Ciel took a quick look at the program and formulated his plan.

"You'll catch all the snakes in 5 minutes from now, then appear in the show." Ciel thought aloud. "Finish your debut at 19:50 and once you've gone into the back to released the snakes, you'll return for the encore." Ciel then turned to look up at me. "We'll investigate the rest."

"Yes, sir," Sebastian said.

"This is the last of them, isn't it?" Ciel asked.

"Yes," Sebastian said, throwing the last snake into its cage. "Go straight to the show tent, you'll be suspicious if you're tardy," Ciel ordered.

"Certainly sir," Sebastian said, before leaving Snake's tent.

"Young Master, it would be too risky for both of us to look through the tents," I commented, turning to him. "Let me do it." Ciel seemed surprised by my statement and pondered it before letting out a sigh.

"Fine, be quick and report back," Ciel ordered.

"Yes, sir," I replied before going into the closest tent to Snake's.

The tent was surprisingly bare. There was only a bed, a trunk, and a floor length mirror. As I walked in closer I saw a photograph of children. _These must be the first-string members. and a middle-aged man. He looks familiar, I think I've seen this man before. . . but where?_ I put the photo down and decided to look in the next tent. I searched through four other tents but found nothing of significance.

Now, I only had Beast's and Joker's tents. I decided to go into Beast's first. I looked through her trunk and found a picture of her as a child, with the same man with her. _That sign behind them... .workhouse . . an orphanage? So, they must be from the same orphanage. .But where is it? I need a clearer shot of it . . ._

Sebastian suddenly came in and pushed me into the trunk, then got in after me. "What the-" I was about to say before Sebastian put a glove-covered hand over my mouth. I heard footsteps, and then Beast's voice.

"Aw, and I liked this one!" I heard her say. A few minutes later, I heard her walk out of her tent. Sebastian then opened the lid.

"We made it in the nick of time," Sebastian replied. I nodded, then went red-faced realizing he was kneeling between my legs.

"Uh, S-Sebastian?"

"Yes?, oh I'm sorry." Sebastian apologized, then stood up and helped me back to my feet.

"Thank you," I replied, then explained what I had found and shown him the picture I found in Beast's trunk.

"So you found something in the photograph, love?" he asked, then got a closer look at the photo, and pointed to the ring on the man's finger. "I have seen this same hallmark as the one on this signet ring recently," Sebastian explained. " I am certain this hallmark is the same one at the base of Ms. Beast's prosthetic leg."

"I've seen this man's face before... " I recalled, trying to rack my memories for that face. "I just can't remember where. . ."

"It's almost time," Sebastian told me, clicking his pocket watch open. "This will be all for today."

"I still have to search Joker's tent," I mentioned. "We're short on time, but we do have eight minutes. You head back, so you don't draw suspicion. I'll finish up here. Then stick to the plan from there, okay?"

"Of course, be safe," he replied, kissing my forehead before leaving. I smiled a little and left Beast's tent. I quickly went into Joker's tent and searched through his trunk, and found a picture of that man again. _From how he's dressed, he's got to be a higher class, like a noble or something. He's photographed with the workhouse children, charity work?_ I saw something out of the corner of my eye. I looked to see a letter sticking out from underneath a pillow. I pulled it out, it was addressed to Tom, the piper's son. _The piper's son, like from Mother Goose?_ I opened the letter and my eyes widened.

 _This is... Ciel's name! His rank and all that other stuff! Don't tell me our cover been blown?!_ I heard footsteps and the first-string members' voices. _Damn it! They're back!_ I quickly put the letter back in its original position and got out of Joker's tent, hiding behind a few large crates. _This is bad! I stayed for too long. I have to get out of here quickly before someone finds me!_

"Hey."

I looked to see Doll, and she was looking right at me. "What're you doin' here?"

"I-I uh . ." I stuttered then she put a hand over my mouth.

"Don't move."

"Hey Doll," Dagger called "What are ya doing?" I began to panic, Doll was going to tell the others I was here! I could already feel my chest tightening from anxiety.

"Snake!" Doll called, picking up a rattlesnake that was a few inches away from biting my hand. She stood up and showed Snake and Dagger the snake. "A venomous snake was slithering about. Didn't I tell you not to let them loose outside?" Doll said, "You'd better put them away in your room properly now." Snake grabbed the venomous serpent from Doll's hand and left to put it back in his room. Doll then looked at me and grabbed my hand. "This way." She said, pulling me away from the private tents and over the fence that surrounds them. She then led me behind some of the tents nearby. "We should be fine now since we came this far."

"Why did you help me?" I asked, letting out a cough. Doll gave me a strange look

"You still don't get it? It's me." Doll took off her wig, revealing her short brown hair. . . wait a minute . .

"Freckles?!"

"So, why were you in there anyways?" Freckles, or should I say Doll asked."Didn't Joker tell you about the snakes?"

"I... Um . ." I stuttered, unable to come up with a good excuse. Doll seemed unconvinced then got an "oh" look on her face, like she realized something.

"I see now. Did you want to go through mine and Beast's things huh? You pervert." she explained, a smirk on her face.

"No no no no that's not it at all!" I stuttered, my face going red. "I don't even like women that way!" I covered my mouth quickly, all color draining from my face. _Why did I say that out loud?! Oh shit this isn't good, I'm so dead!_ I started to breathe quickly from panic, unable to draw a deep breath.

"Oh . . . well . . . then we're even." Doll said after a moment of silence.

"W-wait what?" I asked, looking up at her.

"We're even. I won't tell anyone what happened if you don't." Doll repeated.

"G-got it. . ." I replied, shakily standing up. Doll smiled and gestured her hand toward me

"Neat. So we will keep what happened today our secret." I shook her hand and smiled weakly

"Okay." I agreed, then coughed hard. Doll then said goodbye and left. _Even though she says it, there's no proof that she won't tell anyone. We have to get out of here, and quickly._

Ciel's P.O.V.

After Adam went to the tents, I decided to go back to my own. I haven't felt well since I got soaked in the showers. My chest felt tight and it was getting slowly harder to breathe. Soon after his performance, Sebastian came and took me back to his tent where we waited for Adam. _It's getting late. I hope Adam made it out okay._ "Sebastian, you did make sure that Adam made it out of the tents before you released the snakes, right?" Sebastian looked over at me with a blank look.

"You gave the order to release the snakes before the first tier members returned."

I face-palmed "You idiot! Adam could have been bitten!"

"I-I'm fine, young master." Adam wheezed, coming into our tent. "I found a piece of paper with our names on it in Joker's tent," he reported. "Ranks, address, personal history... " He leaned against the bunk's post. "The sender is... " Before he could tell me the name of the sender, William snapped his death scythe at Adam's ankle, making the blonde yelped in pain.

"You are intruding onto my private property by three centimeters," William said in a dull tone. "Incapable of staying apart as you both decided."

"You deranged bastard!" Adam yelled, turning to Will with a dangerous look in his eyes. "Why don't you take that pole out of your arse and go f-"

"Adam, language." Sebastian lectured, covering my ears.

"Oh please, I've heard worse come out of Bard's mouth," I commented, removing his hands.

"Let's take this outside," Adam suggested, calming down then we headed outside. "So, the sender's name is Tom, the piper's son. Also, there is a hallmark of a horse in the sealing wax *cough* along with the initial K."

"Then it's the same one I saw." Sebastian continued. "In other words, Tom, the piper's son is someone who holds a family crest with the prefix of a horse. People who usually have their family crests displaying a horse are usually knights or other soldiers."

"It's not a rule, though it's basically impossible to get one without a rank of some level," I explained to Sebastian, letting out a cough. "Normally, the sealing is engraved with a symbol of motivation and the initial of the person, plus the family crest. All these crests would be recorded by a heraldry."

"No matter how many records they have, we should be capable of finding it with this alone." Adam thought aloud.

"The disappearing children, a circus, tom the piper's son, and me. *cough* How are all of these pieces connected?" I asked, then the world began to spin. "We'll go back... to the townhouse . ." The coughing got worse and it was getting harder and harder to breathe. Soon, I felt my legs give out from under me and my world fell into darkness.


	17. Baron Kelvin : Part 1

Ciel's P.O.V.

When the light returned, I was laying on something rough but not the ground. I looked up to see the inside of a tent. _What's going on?_

"You're awake. How are you feeling, young master?" I turned my head to see Adam sitting next to me.

"A-Ada-m?" I wheezed, my throat dry and I let out a cough. "W-wat-er." Adam nodded and gave me a small cup of water.

"You're in the medical tent. You collapsed in an asthma fit so Sebastian and I carried you here." Adam replied then put something cold on my forehead.

"We . . need to . . find . ." I mumbled out weakly.

"Sebastian is looking into the hallmark and its owner," Adam interrupted, "In the meantime, I'll look after you" I nodded then felt myself start to drift off. As I drifted back into sleep, I could hear the faintest trace of a song. I couldn't make out the words but it felt . . nice . .

Sebastian's P.O.V.

By daybreak, I found the necessary information and quickly returned to the circus. When I entered the medical tent, I found Ciel asleep in his bed. Adam was asleep as well, resting his head on top of his arms on the nightstand. I chuckled a bit at the sight. _How cute, it's almost a shame to wake them…_ I gently shook Adam's shoulder.

"Adam, Adam it's time to wake up," I muttered, careful not to wake my young master. Adam let out a small groan and picked his head up, his golden curls sticking up straight on one side. I smiled and gently pat his hair down.

"Hm, what? Did you find the owner?" he asked sleepily, letting out a small yawn.

"Yes. If the young lord is well enough, we can leave." I replied, looking down at Ciel who remained asleep.

"His fever went down a little, but he needs proper care once we return to the townhouse," Adam reported, standing up and stretching. I gave a nod of agreement and gently picked up Ciel, careful not to wake him. As we rode to the townhouse, Adam sat in the carriage with Ciel to keep an eye on him.

"Hm? Adam, did Sebastian find the information?" I heard Ciel ask then let out a yawn.

"Yes, sir. We're returning to the townhouse now. We tried not to wake you." I heard Adam reply. I stopped the carriage in front of the townhouse and carried Ciel out, going up to his room quickly to avoid Prince Soma. Unfortunately, Adam was not so lucky. As soon as I returned downstairs to fetch Ciel's tea, I found Prince Soma hugging Adam from behind.

"Where have you three been! It's been days! I've been so worried!" Soma whined. I could feel my eye twitch in annoyance.

"We were working a case, Prince Soma," Adam replied in an annoyed tone.

"Still, you should have told me!" he complained, pouting like a child. That's when I stepped in and walked over to them.

"Prince Soma, you should release yourself from Adam," I stated calmly, giving Soma my _I'm going to murder you_ smile. Soma yelped in fright and backed off, hiding behind Adam.

"We apologize, but it was necessary," Adam stated, then brought up a tray of tea for Ciel along with some breakfast. When we came back to the young master's room, Ciel was drifting in and out of sleep.

"How are you feeling, young master?" I asked, putting away his discarded shoes.

"Tired." he mumbled, "Did Sebastian get the information?"

"The owner of the mark is Baron Kelvin," I reported.

"Kelvin?" Ciel repeated, seeming to recognize the name.

"Is the name familiar my Lord?" I asked.

"I'm not too fond of charity events so he isn't one of my direct acquaintances," Ciel explained, then started to eat his breakfast. "But I did greet him at some parties my predecessor took me to."

"He took kids off the street, gave them a home in his workhouse," Adam mumbled, seemingly to himself. "That would explain the first-tier members' behavior toward him."

"Pardon?" Ciel asked, curious.

"Young Master, all of the first tier members have some sort of physical damage or defect. Missing limbs, nasty scars, that sort of thing. Given the photo, they either had no living parents or their parents gave them up. Children like that don't last long on London's streets." he explained, as if speaking from personal experience.

"It's very likely that the first-tier member's allegiance to Kelvin is strictly based on the fact he saved them and others like them." Ciel continued, seeing his point.

"Is it possible that, if the circus is responsible, Kelvin manipulates the first-tier members into kidnapping children he believes should be "saved"?" Adam asked.

"That's a possibility but we shouldn't make assumptions," Ciel ordered, going to the side of the bed and standing up. "We'll investigate him immediately."

"Young Master, that isn't a good idea," I replied, concerned, " We can investigate Baron Kelvin after you recover."

"I'm fine." Ciel lied. I could tell he felt awful but wanted this whole situation behind him. Adam frowned a bit then ran his fingers through his hair in frustration.

"Okay, then may we at least wait until tonight?" Adam compromised. "You've had a long few days. I think some rest would do you a whole lot of good." Ciel groaned in annoyance but he knew Adam had a point.

"Fine, have it your way. You know, you're being really annoying." Ciel commented, pouting a bit. It was rather odd seeing his more childish moments, but in a way, I'm glad he does have them. He's just a kid, far too young to be an adult . .

"Perhaps, but your health comes first," Adam replied, replacing the cool cloth on his forehead. Ciel let out a sigh and soon fell back asleep.

 _Sleep well, young master._

Ciel's POV

When night fell, the three of us arrived at Baron Kelvin's manor. There were no lights coming from the windows, but I didn't care. This was all going to end tonight.

As we walked up to the doors of the estate, I could feel both Adam and Sebastian staying close to me in an almost. .protective manner which I've slowly been getting used to. The large wooden doors creaked open.

"Welcome," a familiar voice in the gloom greeted, revealing himself to be Joker. "We have been expecting you, Earl Phantomhive." His voice was monotone as if he no longer recognizes us as friends. _That was perfectly fine with me._ "Please come in." Joker continued in the same monotone voice, gesturing us to go inside. When we walked in, Sebastian closed the door behind us. The interior had no light, so I couldn't see any details of the main hall. Joker snapped his fingers. Immediately, I heard a creaking noise, like a marionette puppet being manipulated. A small flame appeared, lighting all the candles in the room by the use of strings, illuminating the room. The main hall was decorated with life-sized puppets. Most were incomplete, but they were everywhere. "This way, please," Joker said, directing us to a staircase. We decided to follow him quietly.

"What do you want to do? Kill him right away and rescue the children?" Sebastian whispered, seeming tense. The plan seemed tempting.

"No, if they're alive, it would be best to capture Lord Kelvin." Adam pointed out in a hushed tone. I nodded in agreement with Adam's plan as we walked down the darkened hallway.

"We don't understand the situation or his goals completely, so we can't report it to the Queen," I whispered to them.

"Understood," Sebastian muttered as Adam gave me a nod. We stopped in our tracks, hearing Joker chuckle.

"Well they say don't judge a book by its cover, you are a good example. Such a small body under stage names such as _The Queen's guard dog_." Joker said, turning back to look at us. "I reckon that's a hardship Smile."

"My name is Earl Ciel Phantomhive." I said coldly, "I will not have a servant speak to me with such familiarities."

"Exactly, you are a noble after all," Joker replied then directed us to a pair of large doors, leading into an elaborately decorated dining hall with a small stage in front of pulled out my chair and gestured for me to sit. I hesitantly did so, with Adam and Sebastian standing on either side of me. Joker then went to the opposite side of the room, when I heard a squeaking noise, like the sound of a wheelchair being pushed. The doors on the side of the room where Joker stood opened, revealing who I assumed to be Baron Kelvin.

Adam's P.O.V

His head was bandaged, only one eye, his nose, and mouth remained uncovered. He appeared to be in his mid-forties, maybe early fifties. I couldn't really tell. His wheelchair was pushed by two small children with vacant looks on their faces, which immediately made me concerned.

"L-Lord Phantomhive! You came!" he said in an almost excited tone. "Ahh, it's like a dream having you two so close to me!" Kelvin looked down at his bandaged hands. "Though I feel so ashamed to meet you while looking this way."

"You are Baron Kelvin?" Ciel asked in disbelief.

"That's right! But it makes me feel awkward to be all formal with you." Kelvin said, "I've prepared a feast for you!" Suddenly, half a dozen children in servant uniforms came in with plates of food and laid them out on the table in front of us. Joker pulled out a bottle of wine and poured a glass out. "The wine is from 1875, the year you were born!" Kelvin said happily, then rubbed the back of his head "I might sound as though I'm showing off a little." Sebastian and I exchanged looks, I knew we were thinking the same thing.

 _This man is a total creep._

Sebastian took a sip from Ciel's glass.

"It isn't poisoned." He said, putting the glass back on the table.

"I have no intention of touching food served by a rat so there is no need to taste for poison," Ciel told Sebastian. "It appears that they are more victims than the police knew about. Something is o-"

"Oh, I know!" Kelvin said, interrupting Ciel. "A meal without entertainment would bore you, wouldn't it? Joker! Put on your show!" Joker seemed hesitant.

"W-What? B-but." Joker began to say before Kelvin cut him off.

"Just do it," Kelvin said, a lobster tail in hand. Joker hesitated, before bowing to Kelvin

"Of course." He said, before going to the small stage in front of us. He stood in the very center, twirled a cane, and pointed to Ciel. "Welcome Earl Phantomhive," he said, "Tonight, I will accompany you to a world of pleasure that will leave you dazzled." The curtain on the stage rose, revealing a dozen children in brightly colored costumes and masks. Kelvin laughed and clapped as Joker began his show.

"First we have our tightrope walker," Joker said, directing our attention to a little girl about to walk on the rope. "With no lifeline our anything, this is the real deal," Joker said. The girl took two steps before falling head-first onto the stage floor with a sickening _crack._ I let out a small gasp, knowing that was a fatal injury. _Oh god, please don't._ Joker winced at the sound, but Kelvin only kept laughing and clapping at the spectacle as one of the other children dragged the girl's body off the stage, leaving a trail of blood behind them.

"Next our wild animal trainer!" Joker said as a few children pulled out a cage with a small boy and a fully grown lion. "Watch as he tames this wild-" Before Joker could say another word, the lion attacked the boy.I put my hand to my mouth, feeling sick as the lion tore the boy to shreds. I looked at Baron Kelvin, only to see him cheering and clapping at the gruesome scene. "Then our knife thrower!" Joker said, directing our attention to a girl strapped to a moving platform as a boy with knives prepared to throw them. "What will become of this maiden on the cross?" The boy threw the knife.

"Stop him!"Ciel and I shouted in unison. Sebastian quickly caught the knife before it could plunge itself into the girl's head then removed the girl's mask.

"Ellery Nicholson, who disappeared in Cornwall," Sebastian said, holding up a photo of the missing child. "There is no mistake. As you expected."

"S-sorry, did you not like this either?" Kelvin asked. "Joker! Clean this up at once!"

"Master, may I put an end to this?" I asked, feeling seething rage boil inside my body.

"I have no desire to sit at a table with a beast that is more despicable than an animal," Ciel replied.

"Wh-What? What's wrong?" Kelvin said, his tone growing nervous. _He should be nervous._

"This will do for the report to the Queen," Ciel said, walking toward Kelvin with me following behind him. "Vulgar, Ugly, Perverted, The lowest form of human life." Ciel snarled. "Is what I, the Watchdog of the Queen, has gotten rid of!" Ciel drew his gun to shoot Kelvin but stopped when Dagger's blade came within inches of Ciel's and I immediately held knives to Joker's neck to stop him.

"My lord?" Kelvin said quietly, before seeing the blade pointed at Ciel's neck. "Joker! Don't point that dangerous thing at the Earl!"

"But-" Joker tried to dispute.

"You disobey me?!" Kelvin said. Joker drew back his sword.

"The kidnapped children, where are they?" Ciel asked Kelvin, now pointing his gun at his head.

"What? You want to meet those children?" Kelvin asked. "They are in the basement. I can take you there right away. Besides, there was something down there I wanted to show you anyway."

* * *

 _ **Author's Note**_

 _ **Sorry, this took so long! I'm not sure if many of you are aware but for the last few weeks, wasn't allowing anyone to post new chapters. RPbogal was having the same problem because we couldn't update "The Adventures of Melody and Logan" so hopefully its all fixed now. Please Review!**_


	18. Baron Kelvin : Part 2

Ciel's P.O.V.

Baron Kelvin led us into an elevator that would take us down to the basement.

"To walk beside you like this, it's like a dream come true!" Kelvin said, as the elevator doors opened.

"Don't waste your breath." I said. "Just take us to the children."

"S-sorry." Kelvin apologized as he led us to the basement. "But I'm just so happy. I've been filled with regret ever since that day. . . Why couldn't I be at your side that day?" He led us to a pair of large ornate doors.

" _That day? My side?_ What the bloody hell are you talking about?" I asked him. He ignored my question as the two children began to open the doors.

"No matter how much I regretted it, Time wouldn't turn back." Kelvin said. "But I realized something; If I couldn't go back, we could just do it again!" By this time, the doors were opened wide. "I'm afraid it took me almost three years to get ready."

I let out a gasp and took a step back. _No, no this. . this can't be it . . .it can't be . . ._ Images flashed through my mind. _The blood-covered table . . . the vacant children . . . . adults holding me down as they branded me . . . . the screams. . . . . the horrible, gut-retching screams._ I was visibly shaking at this point, my brain throbbing against my skull.

"Now, Lord Phantomhive," Kelvin said excitedly. "Let's repeat that day four years ago!"

Every detail was exact.

From the pristine white marble columns and the stone benches that surrounded the center of the room to the metal sacrificial table to the three iron cages that held about half a dozen children.. _Crimson blood dripping down the table from the most recently murdered child. Men and women who wore masks to cover their faces and cloaks to hide their bodies, laughing at us. The wicked shine of the knife before it claimed its next victim. I heard the screams of the dying children, pleading for someone . . . .anyone . . . .to save them._

"You know, I remember the day I met the you." Baron Kelvin said with a smile, then turning back to look at me. "Even now, I can't forget the pain I felt back then. Only I, who gave up everything to meet you, couldn't. Why is fate so bent on keeping us apart, I wonder."

"You . . .you're sick." Adam choked out. I turned to him and he seemed as horrified as I was.

"And then, on that day, they were all gone." Kelvin said, ignoring Adam and turning to us. "You killed them, didn't you? How I envy them. A beautiful end, with the cold moon at their deathbeds. . . .Please, make me one of them!" Kelvin turned back toward the room and raised his arms triumphantly "Look, I have prepared everything just as it was then! This ritual chamber. . The lambs. .and finally, you!" I pulled the trigger on my gun, the bullet plunging itself straight into the center of Baron Kelvin's chest.

"Father!" Joker cried, removing his prosthetic hand to reveal a dagger. Before Joker could stab me, Sebastian cut off Joker's other hand.

"Stay out of my master's way" Sebastian said, as Joker let out a cry of pain.

"It hurts, my lord! It's agony!" Kelvin said, groveling at my feet. "If you're going to kill me, please give me the death they had!"

"The death they had?" I replied, stomping my foot on Kelvin's head and aimed my gun at him. "Then kneel like a worm and beg the demon to do it."

"Please, don't kill him!' Joker pleaded, inching toward us. "Despite what he is, he still saved us! We were abandoned by our parents and our country. He saved us from the fear of starvation. 'Many brothers and sisters are still at the workhouse! If he dies, we can't live on! That's why. ."

"That's why you kidnapped those children?" Adam asked. "You obeyed this man in order to survive, by sacrificing others?"

"Yeah, that's right." Joker admitted. "England was a living hell for people born like us. We had nothing, no money for food and no power to protect our friends. But Father saved us from that pile of rubbish. He gave us hands and legs, allowing us to protect what is most precious to us. That's why we decided to live. Even if another hell was waiting for us." Joker said, bowing his head. "I knew from the start it was wrong but . . ."

"You weren't wrong." I said.

"Huh?" Joker said, looking up at me.

"You fought to protect _your_ world, isn't that enough? After all, justice in this world is just a bunch of principles made by those with power to suit themselves." I replied. "You will lose everything if you can't keep up. That's all." Joker started laughing, falling on to his back.

"What's so funny?" Adam asked.

"You will also have some important things stolen from you tonight." Joker said. "The troupe is on its way to your manor right now. How do you think we captured all those kids without getting caught? All the witnesses disappear. We're professionals! We eliminate anyone who crosses our path while on a mission, no matter who or what. I wonder how many people will be killed while the search the manor for you, Earl?"

"Killed, huh?" I asked.

"Yeah, even your servants won't be spared." Joker replied.

"My servants?" I repeated, turning to him. "Just who do you think you are dealing with? They are servants of Phantomhive! The Phantomhive House is a phantom that exists solely to dispel the Queen's distresses."

"If you step into that den, you can never return to the light." Sebastian continued.

"Those guys are pros, don't think you can" Joker began to say.

"You are free to believe it or not," Sebastian interrupted. "However, don't forget these are capable people were hand-selected by me." Joker was quiet for several minutes, until silent tears began to flow down his cheeks. That's when I heard the squeaking of another wheelchair, and Doc's voice.

Adam's P.O.V.

 _Help us! Please Help Us!_ My head began to throb with half a dozen voices. I heard it faintly from outside but now it seemed like they were screaming in my head. _Please, he hurts us! Make the pain go away!_ I went wide-eyed, realizing the voices I was hearing where coming from the children. I don't know why but . . I could _feel_ what they feel, like I was one of the them. _All the pain, the loneliness, the fear . . . I wanted to curl up in a ball and hide. But I knew I had to stay strong, to get these kids back to their families._ _Why is this happening?_

"Sorry, I'm late! I brought more!" Doc said, wheeling into the ritual room with a cage of children. "Demon? Smile? Angel? What are you doing here?" he asked.

"St-stay away Doc!" Joker strained to say. "Smile is the guard dog!"

"Hm? Oh, so you're the one?" Doc asked, seeming to be unfazed

"Run! Please!" Joker pleaded.

"What? Why?" Doc asked, standing up from his wheelchair and walked toward us. "I have no reason to run."

"Doc? Your legs. ." joker said. Doc laughed.

"Oh, there's nothing wrong with my legs! Kids like you wouldn't get all jumpy if I just sat down. Lord Kelvin!" Doc said, now noticing the dead body of Baron Kelvin.

"How awful. And I had just met a patron who understood my ideals."

"Ideals?" I asked.

"Yes. For a very long time, I searched for the perfect artificial limb and wanted to continue its development." Doc explained. "After all my research, I was able to make the finest materials possible! It was lighter and sturdier than wood, and more beautiful than the mineral characteristics of ceramics. I have made something no one else had ever made before." Doc explained. "However, gathering the materials was a difficult task."

"Indeed, your handmade, artificial limbs have an enchanting feel to them." Sebastian commented. "Like Chinese –made bone porcelain tableware."

"Ah, Demon you understand its beauty." Doc said. "But could you not put it in the same league as bone porcelain made from _cattle_ bones?"

"That's right; you said they are made from special materials?" Sebastian asked.

"Yes, I can't get them anywhere else but here." Doc proceeded to go to one of the cages that held the children as he continued to talk. "This way, I don't have to put any effort into throwing them away somewhere. Don't you think it's the best recycling ever?"

"No . . ." I muttered, the color draining from my face.

"As long as they don't know the truth, everyone is always praising me about how wonderful they are." Doc said, removing a little girl from the cage. "But the Baron was different. Searching for beauty was his highest motivation. He sponsored me with an abundance of materials and money, the best thinkable patron." Doc dragged the girl from the cage to the sacrificial table. "Don't you think it's normal to need the best materials to make the best products? As far as society's idiots are concerned, there's no such thing as success without sacrifice." Doc told us, laying the girl's body on the table. "Cow bones are fine, but a human's aren't? Who decided on that?" Doc said, raising his dagger to kill the girl. Before he could make another sound, Ciel fired two shots. One going through his chest, the other going through Doc's head.

"Pathetic piece of shit!" Ciel yelled through clenched teeth. After a few moments, I walked over to the cages of children and began to pick the lock. I could feel their fear and loneliness go away, replaced with . . what I could only describe as peace and hope.


	19. Guilt

Sebastian's P.O.V.

"It'll be okay, we will save you," Adam muttered.

"We can't"

Adam went wide-eyed and turned around to see Ciel with a blank look on his face. "Wait what?" Adam asked, confused.

"I've seen that look. They're too far gone to have a normal life." Ciel replied coldly. "They're practically dead at this point."

"Y-you can't be serious" Adam stuttered, bewildered by my young master's statement. Ciel grabbed Adam's arm roughly.

"I am," he muttered. "I've seen this look before and there's no coming back." Adam glared at Ciel and took his arm back.

"You're wrong! You don't hear them!" Adam pleaded. _Hear them? What in Hell._

"What are you talking about?! They haven't made a sound!" Ciel yelled, agitated. I knew Ciel wanted to get out as soon as possible but I couldn't help being curious.

"I . .I can't explain it." Adam replied lowly, "I had a weird feeling earlier . . emotions and thoughts that weren't mine . .it's not until now that I realized it's coming from the children." I went wide-eyed at his statement. _How strange. It's not normal for a human to be an empath. I wonder…_

"Never the less, we can't save them. Sebastian?" Ciel replied, turning toward me.

"Yes, sir?" I asked, but I already knew what he wanted me to do.

"Burn it. Everything," he ordered, taking off his eyepatch to reveal the mark of our contract.

"W-Wait!"

Ciel and I turned to Adam, who started to shake a bit as he grabbed a discarded gun.

"At least . . .allow . . allow me to give them a . . a painless death." he mumbled. Ciel seemed surprised by the request but gave him a small nod.

"Fine, just be quick." he sighed. Adam let out a small nod and went into the cage with the children. With each child, he gently held them and muttered comforting last words before shooting the child in the back of the head, his shaking get worse with every death. Although they wouldn't have felt a thing, I could still see the guilt weigh down on my lover. When Adam finished, he climbed out of the cage, his hands and shirt covered in blood. _I'll have to wait until we get back to talk to him_. I then picked up my young master and set the fire.

When we returned to the manor, I carried Ciel up to his room and prepared him for bed. It had been a long day for everyone, including the young master and Adam. But I can't get what Adam said out of my mind . . It's not possible for a human to feel the emotions of others so deeply as Adam seemed to. Once Ciel fell asleep, I made my way to Adam's room. I let out a sigh and opened the door. Adam was seated on his bed, his back to me and looking out the window.

"Adam?" I asked softly. Adam let out a yelp and turned around quickly.

"Christ! Don't scare me like that!." he replied, holding a hand to his chest.

"Sorry . ."I apologized. "Are you alright? I know today has been . . particularly difficult." Maybe not the best choice of words but I don't know how else to put it. Adam let out a dry laugh that held no humor.

"You should be asking the young master that." he replied, avoiding my question. It was clear he was trying to hide his true feelings. I let out a sigh and sat next to him. We were silent for a few moments before Adam broke the silence.

"I...I did the right thing, right?" he asked hesitantly, holding himself.

"Yes." I assured, wrapping an arm around his waist. "Those children didn't have any life in them anymore. You gave them a peaceful farewell and comforting words." Adam didn't seem that convinced of my words.

"You couldn't hear them," he muttered, then sniffed. "I killed them... innocent kids" I went wide-eyed hearing this.

"No, no you didn't" I reassured, trying to comfort him. "They were dead before we were able to reach them. It's not your fault . ." I held him, petting his head like a cat and muttering comforting words. We sat in silence as Adam moved out of my embrace.

"Sebastian?" he asked

"Yes?"

"What's wrong with me?" Adam muttered. "What happened back there was not normal . . not human."

"Nothing is wrong with you." I replied then gently held his face so he was looking at me. "I don't know why this is happening to you. It's possible you have a . .supernatural lineage." Adam let out a dry laugh, once again holding no humor. I didn't like it.

"Ha, I highly doubt that. My mother was a whore who sold me to a - " Adam cut himself off by covering his mouth with his hand then looked down in shame. I grew a bit concerned.

"Adam?" Adam didn't answer me and began to shake once more, only this time he had tears going down his face. I went wide-eyed in shock and panicked a bit. _What do I do? I don't know what to do!_ I held my hands out a bit, unsure whether to hold him or not. _The young master reacts violently when I do that to him, so would Adam do the same?!_ Adam must have noticed my panic for it seemed like he was trying to calm himself down but he was still breathing quickly and wheezing. I went wide-eyed, realizing he was going into an asthma attack and began to panic more.

"Adam, Adam I need you to focus," I told him, "Just focus on me and try take slow breaths, okay?" I held Adam's arms and rubs them slowly, knowing that usually helped during one of these fits. Adam nodded in response, calming down after a few minutes. "Good, Good . ." I muttered to myself. I gently pet Adam's head and wrapped my arms around him, recalling how Mother calmed me down during the dark years.

"I'm sorry," Adam muttered, leaning into my touch. I shook my head.

"You have nothing to be sorry for," I mumbled, "If anything I should be sorry, I didn't know how to comfort you in that state." Adam sniffed and rubbed his eyes roughly.

"N-No you're fine." he reassured. The reassurance didn't help much, I felt awful and useless. What kind of lover would I be if I couldn't support him? Adam wrapped his arms around me, burying his face into my shoulder. I held him back, feeling a little better. _You're always so good at this . ._ Adam pulled away a bit and rubbed my cheek with his thumb. I leaned into his touch and let out a content sigh. After a few moments, I felt Adam stiffen.

"Adam, what's wrong?" I asked.

"I don't know... I think it's happening again," he mumbled, looking around the room. _How strange, I wonder how this is possible._

"What do you feel?" I questioned, sitting up.

"Fear . . and something else I can't name." Adam replied, then held a hand to his chest like it was hurting. "I think the young master is having a nightmare." I went wide-eyed at his response, then heard the young master let out a faint scream of fright. We both rushed up to his room.

Ciel's P.O.V.

I was in the cage again, surrounded by the adults in cloaks and winged masks. "Somebody! Anyone! Save us!" I cried out but no one would listen. They began to laugh and opened the cage, reaching into the cage to tear at my clothes. "No! No! No! Get off of me! Sebastian! Adam!"

 _Shh, it's okay. It's just a nightmare_.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back in my room. I looked up to see Adam petting my head.

"It's okay, nothing is going to hurt you," he muttered. I leaned into his touch, feeling better.

"What time is it?" I muttered.

"Just after midnight, young master" Adam mumbled, continuing to comfort me. It felt nice . . I haven't felt this safe since before my parents died. "Do you want to talk about it?" Adam asked quietly. "It helps sometimes to talk about it." I shook my head no and rubbed my eye sleepily. Adam must have noticed for he got up and covered me with the blanket I kicked off. I held onto his wrist before he was out of reach.

"Stay . . until I fall asleep." I muttered. I'd normally never ask anyone but Sebastian to do this but Adam seemed . .warmer than Sebastian if that made any sense.

"Alright," Adam muttered, sitting down next to me. He ran his fingers through my hair again as I closed my eyes and I curled up against him. As I began to settle down, I heard that song again, the one I heard in the medical tent at the circus. I opened my eyes again and looked up at Adam.

"What is that?" I asked, letting out a yawn, "I've heard it before." Adam gave me a slightly surprised look.

"Oh, um . .I may have hummed it in the medical tent the last time you had a nightmare. It seemed to calm you down. I do not recall the name of the song." Adam explained. I gave him a nod.

"Oh... I like it . ." I mumbled sleepily. Adam smiled a bit and continued to hum as I drifted back into sleep, this time peaceful and almost happy.


	20. Over the Hill

**_So sorry for the late and very short update. As soon as my spring break ended, I got hammered with tons of work and projects. But, now I'm back and ready to get down to business. The next one will be much longer and shit is about to go down._**

Ciel's P.O.V.

As repairs were being done to the manor, Sebastian, Adam, and I headed out once more to wrap up the case. I decided to visit the workhouse the first-tier members' came from. According to Joker, there were more children still there and now they had no one to provide for them. As we boarded the train, I noticed Adam was stopped by a little girl selling oranges

"Would you like an orange, mister? It's only a penny," she asked. Adam smiled a little and kneeled to her level.

"Yes, please," he replied, giving her the coin. The girl's face lit up with a smile and she pressed the orange into Adam's hand.

"May God's blessing be with you on your journey," she said. _If only there was a God..._

"As to you, little one. Be careful going home, okay?" Adam answered, giving her a smile and ruffling the child's hair.

"I will, mister!" she giggled then walked away quickly. I let out a sigh, almost envying her innocence.

"Adam let's go, the train is leaving!" I called.

"Coming, young master!" Adam replied, following me and Sebastian into first class. Because of our quick departure, there weren't any seats left in third class so they would be riding with me.

"Where did you get that?" Sebastian asked, noticing the orange in Adam's hand.

"A little girl was selling them" Adam replied, putting it on the window sill. We took our seats and the train pulled out of the station, heading to the countryside. We were in silence for a while. They both knew why we were going and why it was necessary. Frankly, I don't want to but the cleanup after a case is also the Guard Dog's responsibility. I looked over at Adam to see he was looking out the window, a sober look on his face. I imagine there's an incredible burden of guilt after what happened to those children and what he did. But, there's no going back after what they went through.

Once the train stopped, we had a local farmer give us a ride to the workhouse. After about 10 minutes, he stopped and we climbed up the hill. I went wide-eyed at the sight, seeing the workhouse in ruins. We slowly walked through, finding broken glass, discarded toys, and clothing. It obviously hasn't been used in ages. I almost wanted to laugh. _They died for nothing! The thing they were protecting was a lie!_ What stopped me from laughing was Adam's expression. I couldn't pin the emotion exactly, it was a mix of anger, grief, and something else I can't really name.

"He killed them," Adam muttered, looking at the rubble.

"Pardon?" Sebastian asked, turning around.

"Doc. He must have taken the children from the workhouse for his... disgusting prosthetics." Adam replied, shivering a bit from the cold. "They died not knowing . . . The people Joker and the others were protecting were already long gone . ." Sebastian walked over to Adam, putting a hand on his shoulder and giving him a look I could not see. Whatever it was, it seemed to calm him down a bit.

"Well, then we have no business here. Let's go, I'm cold." I ordered as we made our way back down the hill.

"Yes, young master." Sebastian and Adam replied in unison, then we head down the hill and back to the train. As we walked, the three of us remained silently except an occasional hard cough from Adam. I was starting to get a little worried but I shrugged it off, thinking it was from the debris. By the time we got back to the train, Sebastian must have noticed the coughing as well.

"Adam are you alright?" he asked, giving Adam a … what I can only describe as a look of concern which shocked me.

"I'm fine, don't you worry about me," Adam replied, shivering a bit as he closed the door to the compartment. _Back home again I suppose …_


	21. Back to the Manor

Sebastian's P.O.V.

By the time we returned to the manor, Adam wasn't doing much better. If anything, he looked worse than before we left. I decided that I would talk to him when we were alone; it must be from all the stress of the last case and having to euthanize those children.

"Adam, are you sure you're alright?" I asked as Adam and I unloaded the carriage.

"Yes! I'm sure!" Adam snapped, then coughed hard, "Please, I promise you I'm fine. It's the cold air, that's all" I wasn't convinced and I let out a sigh. _Damn him and his stubbornness._ Adam soon went into a coughing fit. I went wide-eyed, not realizing how bad he was getting.

"Adam!" I called out, rubbing his back to ease the fit. Adam continued to cough, sinking to his hands and knees. I began to panic, scooping Adam up into my arms and rushing into my room. I placed Adam on my bed, rushing around to make hot tea and trying to calm the fit. Nothing seemed to help which only made me panic more. _Why the Hell is this happening?! How do I ...Oh shit, this is an asthma attack!_ _Okay, okay calm down. You've seen this before, how do you fix it?_ I rushed out of the room to grab mint oil and the hot tea then went back to my room.

"Adam, Adam I need you to try and calm your breathing," I reassured, opening the jar of mint oil. "I'm going to rub some of this on your chest, it'll help." Adam only seemed to panic and shake his head no furiously then bent over and vomited into a trashcan. This only confused me and made me more scared for Adam's life.

"I'm sorry, my dear." I apologized before holding Adam down with one hand and ripping off his shirt completely. I went wide-eyed in horror at the sight. I had never seen him shirtless before but now I know why. Adam was surprisingly muscular for such a lean frame but his pretty pale skin was marked with scars on his shoulders and hips. Some looked like burns, some looked like whip marks and others. .i don't want to imagine what they are from. Adam looked down in shame, his pale face turning dark red, still breathing heavily. I rubbed the mint oil on his chest, which seemed to help his breathing a bit. _Now is not the time to ask... but whoever did this shall feel my wrath worse than the Plague._ I sat Adam up, his breathing improved and gave him a cup of tea. "Here, this will help with your breathing." Adam did not say a word and didn't take the tea, avoiding my eyes. I let out a sigh and sat with him, ignoring the fact the scars continued on his back.

"Please Adam," I half-begged, "you have to drink this, you'll feel better." Adam hesitantly took the tea from my hands and downed in one gulp. I let out a sigh and gently pet his head.

"Y-You're not angry at me?" Adam muttered. I looked down at him, confused.

"Why would I be mad at you, Adam?" I asked.

"For hiding it . . . . not telling you . . . I don't know." Adam muttered, bringing his knees to his chest and put his head down. I moved so I was sitting in front of him and gently lifted his head so he was looking at me.

"I don't blame you for hiding such a thing from me," I reassured, gently running one hand through his golden hair. "I am upset but not at you. I'm angry at those who harmed you, but that will have to wait. You're still weak from the fit and I need to care of you." Adam looked up and frowned a bit.

"You don't need to take care of me. I'm not a child." he protested. I smiled a little. _Him and his stubbornness_.

"Please rest, for me," I asked, nuzzling my face into his neck. Adam let out a sigh and pet my head before laying down.

"You're getting me a new shirt," he muttered. I smirked a bit and kissed his forehead.

"Of course, my darling dove. Just rest." I replied, then covered him with a blanket before leaving the room and closing the door behind me. I let out a sigh, rubbing my face. _This is going to be a long night. . ._

Adam's P.O.V.

After an hour or so, the pains in my chest had gone away ...for the most part. I was mortified that Sebastian saw the scars and I know he's going to ask. It's bad enough that I let Ciel see, granted I did it to help him feel better but that's not my point. I dread the day I have to explain to either one of them where they came from …. The pains returned once more, but this wasn't from an asthma attack. I sat up, trying to place where it was coming from. When I realized it was coming from Ciel's room, I quickly put on a clean shirt and rushed up to his room. When I poked my head in, I saw Ciel sitting straight up in bed, holding one hand to his chest and panting like from a nightmare.

"Are you alright young master?" I asked. Ciel looked up, frightened for a moment but relaxed when he saw it was me.

"Y-Yes... I thought Sebastian said you were sick?" he asked, almost concerned. I shook my head no, sitting down next to him.

"No, just a. .minor asthma attack. I'll be fine. I'm more worried about you, seemed like quite a nightmare." I reassured, hesitantly petting his head. He leaned into my touch a bit before laying back down.

"You have it too?" he muttered, looking up at me.

"All my life, young master," I answered, covering him with the blanket he kicked off. "Doesn't bother me too much nowadays."

"Oh…" he mumbled, settling back down. "Can you stay, until I fall asleep?"

"Of course," I replied, smiling a little. We remained in silence for a while, except for Ciel's steady breathing.

"Do you get them?"

"Hm?"

"Nightmares," Ciel asked, turning to look up at me. "From whatever did ..that to your shoulder?" I stayed quiet for a moment, unsure if I should tell him. _It may ease the pain of his own nightmares..._

"Yes . ." I muttered, "It's spread a bit more than that but, yes...if it makes you feel better, it does get better with some time." Ciel didn't seem so convinced but I think the thought comforted him a bit. His feelings of anxiety seemed to melt away a little. After a few minutes, Ciel fell back asleep. I let out a sigh and gently pet his head before blowing out the candle and leaving his room. I rubbed my face, letting out a sigh.

 _Poor kid, I wish there was something more I could do to help him ease the pain... .maybe these new . . . abilities could help if only I knew how they work._


	22. The Invitation

_**Hello, my Lovelies, I do apologize about the long hiatus but I've found less and less time to write. Anyone who has followed my The One that Got Away trilogy knows that I tried to write up the Murder Mystery Arc before and I absolutely hated it. However, due to the planned character and plot developments, I must include it in this version. However, this arc I will almost exclusively tell from Arthur's P.O.V. Once the arc is almost over, I will go back to either Adam's, Sebastian's, or Ciel's. So wish me luck and enjoy the next chapter of The Raven and the Dove**_

Chapter 22. The Invitation

 _Early Spring 1889_

 _It was around the time of year when winter hasn't quite cleared yet. While working as an inexperienced eye-doctor in London I was also working as an insignificant writer. Even though I say writer, I could only actually devote the times that I had no patients to writing. Up until now, my work has only been published once and after many submissions, the payment was atomically small. I was considering a move from the clinic to the Scottish countryside, however, during this time an invitation was delivered to me._

 _Yes, that was when it all began_

 _When I first went there, I was merely an innocent commoner/ However, the incident that happened at the manor house I was invited to that day, turned my life around 180 degrees. Many years have passed since then, but I finally decided to put pen to paper. To write it down here and now. Everything about the incident I encountered at Earl Phantomhive's manor. The incident that opened my eyes to the truth of our world_

 _That demons and angels walk among us_

Arthur's P.O.V.

 _Why am I here?_ I thought as me and the other guests loitered about the entry hall. I was the only commoner, the others are all nobles of some rank or actors. I let out a sigh then felt something soft and warm rub up against my arm. I turned to see my elbow in the surprisingly large bosom of an Asian woman with bright golden eyes, straight black hair and dressed in a scandalously low-cut dress of some sort. I felt my face grow hot and red in embarrassment and backed away quickly.

"Sorry," the Asian woman said, then was soon joined by her escort. The gentleman was also of Asian descent and wore a fancy robe of some sort.

"Ah, excuse me." the Asian man apologized but it didn't seem genuine.

"D-Don't bother! A-Are you also actors?" I asked, stuttering a bit.

"No, no, I am but a humble branch manager working at a trading company. My name is Lau and this is my little tigress Ran-Mao" the Asian man explained, gesturing to himself and the Asian woman. "And who might you be?"

"Oh, um I'm an eye specialist...and also a bit of a writer" I explained sheepishly.

"That's amazing!" Lau replied with a small smile. "A wordsmith, huh?"

"Oh, no such thing!" I replied, "I'm nothing special at all! I've never met the Earl before, so I really don't know why I've been invited…"

"Who knows?" Lau said with a shrug, "I don't know what that moody guy is thinking. Without a doubt, something interesting will happen" I gulped, expecting the worst

"O-Oh?" I asked.

"Moreover, the Earl hates the staunch of social life and is famous for being a rare character that hardly ever shows himself. I think this is the first time he invited people into his home." Lau explained. "He always has a sour or angry look on his face and has extremely high pride." The image of a scary-looking man entered my mind's eye as Lau described the Earl. "Oh, he also wears a pirate-like eyepatch." I began to shake a little in fear.

"That's enough Mr. Lau."

Both of us turned to see three people at the top of the stairs. The person who spoke stood in the middle and was the shortest and youngest of the three, no older than thirteen. The boy had straight navy blue hair that partially covered one of his sapphire blue eyes and was dressed like a noble. The man on the right was the tallest of the three. He was over six feet tall and dressed in a black uniform. His slim ghostly pale face made his feather-like raven-black hair and blood red eyes even more striking. The person on the left was between the other two in age and height. The boy looked no older than sixteen, maybe seventeen and dressed in a similar uniform to the tall man. He had a soft pale face, a lean frame, curly golden blonde hair, and striking green eyes. _I didn't know it then, but there was so much more to these three than meets the eye_.

"That tiny little child is Earl Phantomhive," Lau explained. I went wide-eyed in shock and look back up at the trio on the stairs. _That little boy is the Earl?_

"Little was unnecessary!" the Earl snapped at Lau, then cleared his throat and turned to me with a very slight smile "I am the head of the house, Ciel Phantomhive. Thank you for accepting my invitation today." The Earl turned toward the other guests and guided them to an adjoining room that was set up for a dinner party where the introductions were made.

 _George Von Siemens, honorary director of the Bamberger Bank in Germany who was accompanied by Earl Grey, the Queen's butler. Carl Woodley, President of the Woodley Company which I found out was a Diamond polishing business. Patrick Phelps, heir to the Blue Star Line Company. Grimsby Keane, theatrical producer and Irene Diaz, an opera singer. These are the only other people who would witness the incident, and some would never make it out alive._

We were guided into the dining hall where the room was set up for the dinner party. I felt even more awkward as the others made merry and drank wine. I let out a sigh and watched from the sidelines. "Would you like a glass?"

I looked up to see the blonde teenager from earlier, now carrying a tray of wine-filled glasses. _Such beauty and ambiance,_ I thought, _He could appear in a book by Oscar Wilde_. "Thanks," I accepted, taking a glass from the tray.

"Is something troubling you, sir?" the blonde asked, a genuinely concerned look on his face.

"Oh, um, well … I guess I feel out of place here." I admitted, "I'm not really sure why I was invited in the first place…"

"Oh, I see. Well, if it would make you feel better, the answer is fairly simple." the blonde explained, "My young master is an admirer of your writing." I went wide-eyed in shock hearing his explanation.

"H-He read my novel? B-But it was in such a minor magazine." I stuttered. The blonde nodded.

"Indeed, but your novel struck out to him. He enjoyed your main character very much." the blonde stated.

"I see...well I'd hate to disappoint him but it wasn't that popular, I have no intention of writing again," I explained, looking down at my glass.

"Oh that's a shame." the blonde commented. "If you need anything else, just give me a shout."

"Thank you," I replied as the blonde walked away. I let out a sigh and looked down at my glass, twirling the red-liquid around. There was polite conversation until George Von Siemens had a little too much to drink.

"I told you to please stop it!" I heard Irene shout. I looked up to see the argument between her and Von Siemens.

"You're at fault for wearing those clothes." Von Siemens replied then hiccuped. "You really don't want to be touched, don't you? Don't pretend to be sweet and innocent now." He moved to caress Irene until the blonde servant from earlier stepped in.

"That's enough, Lord Von Siemens," he spoke up, getting between them.

"Why, you insolent brat! Get out of the way!" Von Siemens shouted, throwing his drink at the blonde servant who shielding Irene from the splash. The other guests gasped at the sight

"Leave Miss Irene alone. You are my young master's guest, you are expected to act accordingly. Do I make myself clear?" the blonde servant said, his green eyes narrowing into a glare, emerald turning into deadly Greek Fire. Von Siemens grumbled and walked away. The servant turned around to face Irene.

"Are you alright, Miss Irene?" he asked, his stern voice turning kind and gentle.

"Y-yes, thank you...um.."Irene thanked.

"Adam, can you escort Lord Von Siemens to his room?" Earl Phantomhive asked.

"Yes, sir" the blonde, Adam replied before escorting Von Siemens to his room. I noticed that the black-haired servant had walked away. When I looked down a corner, I saw the two of them talking. The black haired servant offered Adam a towel to dry himself off.

"Are you alright?" the raven-haired servant asked, genuinely concerned.

"I'm fine, Sebastian" Adam replied. "Drunk Bastard"

"Indeed," Sebastian replied with a chuckle "But he is the young master's guest. So we must treat him as such. Don't fret, little dove." Sebastian gently ran his gloved fingers through Adam's hair

"Hmph," Adam replied but leaned into the affectionate touch. I tensed and quickly walked away so they did not see me. _Perhaps it's just a friendly nickname, yeah it's just a friendly nickname._


	23. The First Night

Arthur's P.O.V.

When all the guests entered the room, we saw Von Siemens in his chair with a large red stain on his shirt. His eyes were unmoving and his mouth agape. The maid, Mey-Rin let out a short scream at the sight. I moved to the front and began to examine the corpse, not getting too close.

"He's...He's dead!"

"Oh my." Irene gasped, putting her hands to her mouth.

"I can't be certain because it's dark but...Most likely the blood loss from the wound on his chest was fatal." I suggested.

"Isn't it kinda hot in this room?" the chef, Bard commented, wiping the sweat off his brow.

"Indeed it is," Sebastian replied, "I heated up the room beforehand. Maybe he was cold."

"What's all the racket?" Earl Phantomhive asked, who had obviously just be woken up and followed by Adam.

"Oh bloody hell," Adam commented, going wide-eyed seeing the body.

"We shouldn't move anything until the Yard arrives.."Grimsby began but was cut off by Bard.

"No, it's better if we move him now," Bard replied with a grim expression. "I can't say it any nicer. Meat rots faster with heat. Even if we put out the fire, it will take time for the room to cool down."

"R-Rot you say?" Irene asked hesitantly.

"Irene!" Grimsby asked, appalled.

"I agree, it would be best to move him to a cool, dry place until an expert can take a look at him," I suggested.

"Well, then. Let's move him to the cellar until the Yard gets here." Sebastian said, then turned to the gardener, "Finnie, Bring a stretcher."

"Yes, Mr. Sebastian!" The gardener, Finnie replied before leaving the room. Once he and Bard moved Von Siemens to the cellar, the rest of us remained in Von Siemens room. With the storm, it was going to take a while for the Yard to get here. So it meant the killer was still inside the manor, and it was someone in that room. That's when everyone gave their alibis. Well, everyone except Adam and the Earl.

"Earl, where were you and Adam at the time?" Lau asked. Adam stayed silent for a moment.

"Adam escorted me to my room"

"Can anyone else prove that?" Lau asked. Ciel shook his head no reluctantly.

"Goodness me, looks like that makes you two our prime suspects." Earl Grey replied with a small smirk.

"I didn't kill Lord Von Siemens," Ciel insisted. "I have no reason too."

"Your servant got into the argument earlier over Miss Irene. You seemed pretty angry." Earl Grey accused. Adam frowned.

"He was touching Miss Irene inappropriately. Any honorable man would have stepped in to defend her." Adam countered. "Have you no honor, Earl Grey?" Earl Grey scowled.

"Why you insolent brat!" Earl Grey snapped.

"Hey now, let's calm down," Lau interjected. "How about this. Someone stays with Adam and the Earl tonight to keep an eye on them." The other male guests looked at each other in uncertainty and eventually I was picked to stay with the two of them. Using Earl Grey's handcuffs, I was chained to the Earl's left wrist. _How did I get myself into this?_ As Sebastian chained Adam to the right bedpost, I noticed him stiffen significantly with the last _click_.

"Don't worry, I'll let you out in the morning," Sebastian muttered.

"That doesn't make me feel any better," Adam replied in a low tone. Sebastian let out a sigh and put his hand on Adam's shoulder. I couldn't see his expression in the dark room, but whatever it was seemed to be reassuring to Adam. Sebastian moved to the other side of the bed.

"Mr. Wordsmith, I leave the Young Master and Adam in your care," Sebastian stated before leaving the room.

I let out a sigh. _This is going to be a long night,_ I thought to myself. I turned to Lord Ciel and noticed he still had his eyepatch on. He really shouldn't be doing that, he needs to let the eye breathe. I leaned over to the Lord. "Here let me", I said as I reached for his eye patch. Adam grabbed my wrist gently before I could untie the patch.

"Sir, my young master doesn't remove his patch" Adam replied in a low tone.

"But his eye needs to breathe in order for it to heal," I stated. Adam stayed quiet before letting out a sigh.

"Then allow me. Young Master, can you turn towards me?" Adam asked softly. Earl Phantomhive nodded and turned toward his servant. Adam untied the eye patch and rested the patch on one side of the bed.

"Thank you, Adam," Earl Phantomhive thanked then went quiet, grasping onto the pillow. "Hm, it's strange…"

"What's strange, young master?" Adam asked.

"Sharing a bed with another person….the last time that happened seemed so long ago…..before…" Earl Phantomhive mumbled before a loud clap of thunder sounded throughout the manor. Earl Phantomhive stiffened and held onto his blonde servant, burying his face in Adam's chest in fright. Adam went wide-eyed in surprise but smiled and gently held Earl Phantomhive in a protective way.

"It's alright….I got you." Adam muttered, petting Earl Phantomhive's head. I smiled seeing this as it reminded me of how I was with my younger siblings.

"Thank you Adam…" Earl Phantomhive replied, letting out a cute childish yawn and falling asleep. Adam let out a content sigh and fell asleep. I smiled a little seeing this and closed my eyes.

/

After a few hours, I began to stir and opened my eyes. Earl Phantomhive was still asleep, his head tucked under Adam's chin. I smiled a little, thinking the sight was cute. _13? The same age as my little brother Ed, and he's still a snot-nosed little kid. It wasn't that long ago that me and Ed shared a bed when he had nightmares. The Earl seems to treat Adam like a big brother or a parent than a servant. It's actually kind of sweet…There's no way either of them is a killer._ "So sweet"

"Yes, unfortunately, the young master is only like this when he is sleeping". I jolted a bit with the sudden voice. I turned and was shocked and somewhat modified seeing the Earl's butler next to me, holding a pillow.

"W-When did you get here?!" I whispered.

"A few minutes ago. I came to change the young master's pillow".

"Sh, don't you dare wake him" Adam replied, opening his eyes sleepily then gently lifted the Earl's head. Sebastian swapped out the pillow and Adam placed the Earl's head back on the pillow without waking him. "Did you cut yourself?" Adam asked softly.

"Hm, oh yes I was making meal preparations in case the weather continues" Sebastian explained in a low tone.

"Well, make sure you take care of it," Adam replied, concerned.

The butler simply nodded, and at that, I decided to get some sleep again and rolled my back to them.

"Are you alright my darling?" I heard Sebastian ask softly after a few moments. I tensed for a moment, not knowing who he was talking to.

"I'll be fine once the handcuffs come off" I heard Adam reply. I went wide-eyed in shock, realizing what this meant.

 _Adam and the Butler...They're!..._

"Well don't worry, the time will pass quickly", Sebastian continued, "do you need anything though before I go?"

"Hm, you already know what I'd like." Adam flirted. I heard the sound of a kiss and the door closed. Adam let out a content sigh and soon I heard his breathing become slower and even, indicating that he fell asleep. I let out a sigh.

 _This is truly scandalous. Two men as lovers._


End file.
